As I said before, I don't think Matt was hurt in the episode, but I have been known to be wrong on occasion.  The fight with Keith was his first "Big Screen Fight" when he was getting beat on by the bad guy significantly, so it's probably just a makeup job.  Which would indicate a good makeup job, at that!

I also wondered about the battle scars you bear. Did you ever get hurt really bad? Not just in NAoRH, but in another show?  I bet your body would love to pay a visit the old Stuntmen retirement home right now!

Being in any kind of active area of life means you're going to get hurt, sooner or later!  I've broken a few things, torn ligaments in both ankles, torn a hamstring muscle in my left leg, sprained wrists and ankles, been cut, been burned... I don't know, just the average, run of the mill stuff.  I know on Robin Hood, I had a few slip-ups, and one of them kinda has a funny story.  In the last episode "The Arabian Knight," John played the guest star Francisco, the "anti-Robin Hood" who was extorting money from the peasants.  Since he was lead acting, I took over the stunt coordinating for that episode.  Well, I was walking through the scene where Francisco's men were shaking down the tavern owner for money.  

So I was with the stunt guys, the Lithuanian actor, and the director, and he was telling me what he wanted for the camera directions, etc.  This is what was supposed to happen: the guys walk into the deserted tavern, the owner heads toward them with a knife, the lead stunt guy disarms him, and twists him around into a choke hold, so he's holding the tavern owner from behind, then they walk out of the camera shot.  I was demonstrating, so I was standing behind the Lithuanian actor with my arm around his neck ... and mind you, there was no one else in front of us, everyone was behind.  

Well, I asked the director which direction he wanted the tavern owner to be taken, and he told me, so I started walking forward, "moving" him along.  For some reason, the Lithuanian actor thought he would help the situation, and act like someone punched him in the face at this time, even though no one was there.  So he slams his head back, into my face, since I was standing directly behind him.  I remember letting him go, and looking around before everything went black!  John had just walked into the sound stage, and he said it sounded like someone hit me in the face with a baseball bat!  I woke up in the hospital being examined by a large Russian lady who didn't speak English.  I was told that she was a Neurologist, and she wanted to test my reflexes, and I should take off my clothes and lie down on the couch ... needless to say, my reflexes were telling me not to do this, since I'm not used to undressing in front of women I don't know!  I looked in the mirror, and I saw that my upper lip was EXTREMELY swollen, and I immediately thought of the line from the "Elephant Man" movie, "I'm not an animal, I'm a human being!"  

Anyway, after several tests and X-rays (from a monster of a machine that made me think I was being bombarded by gamma rays) I was released and told I had a cracked bone in my face and a concussion, and that I should try to get some sleep.  I had always been told not to sleep when you have a concussion, so I went back to the studio to do some more work.  And it's a good thing that I did!  You see, the Russian stunt guys had a "code of ethics" that meant anyone who caused them an injury was going to be in major trouble.  So, when I walked into the sound stage, the poor Lithuanian actor who hit me ran to me and fell to his knees in front of me, begging for forgiveness ... he was VERY afraid!  

I didn't really know why he was so scared, but my interpreter told me what was up, so I took him to the Russian guys and let everyone know it was just an accident, and that it was okay, and nothing should happen to this guy.  It took some doing, but I persuaded them not to beat the crap out of the guy, and I think he promised to name his first six kids after me!  Anyway, after all of this, I went back to the stunt office, and John reminds me that my upper lip was REALLY swollen, and I thanked him for doing that!  (I think he's got a picture of it, too, so I need to scan it in and send it!)  At this time, Anna Galvin, "Marian" for the first season, walks into the office, looks at me, and says, "Oh, Dave, you're so lucky!  Now you don't have to have a collagen injection in your lip!"  We all had a really good laugh, but I'm VERY glad the swelling went down a few days later!

Dave Morizot

P.S. Here's a pic of me, John, and some of the Russian stunt guys after John's high fall for the last episode ... the last stunt of the season!