David Cheung was once set on fire by Johnny Depp, but it was all part of the job. David is one of an elite few hundred on the British Stunt Register - and he's worked insanely hard to get there.
The professional stunt performer has undergone the most gruelling tasks and spent more than £90,000 on his training and diet regime. And it's landed him impressive film roles with the likes of Taylor Lautner, Jason Statham and Chris Evans.
From nearly falling off a cliff to throwing up in a swimming exam equivalent to the Royal Marines fitness test, David has endured it all to get to the top. Revealing some of his craziest training experiences, David told the Mirror: "Once I was set on fire and thrown over a bar by Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany."
David is qualified in six disciplines including rally racing, scuba diving, rock climbing and is a black belt in martial arts - a passion he shares with one of his idols.
"I was practising martial arts while working on Sherlock Holmes and Robert Downey Jr. came over for a chat - it turns out we both practice Wing Chun," he said.
"My martial arts training is something very close to my heart. I've been doing it for over 20 years and my Chinese grandfather taught me Kung Fu skills from a young age."
David, who grew up in London, has been cast to fight actors including Marvel star Mark Ruffalo, Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant and wrestler Shawn Michaels.
"I secretly always wanted to be like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan but my parents expected me to go to university and be a doctor, banker or lawyer," David said.
"Eventually, I went to university to make them proud - but I spent all my spare time looking for more action-packed and physically challenging opportunities."
He says his biggest career highlight to date is starring in Star Wars: Andor and would love to play the role of Jackie Chan or a superhero one day.
Since starting his stunt career in 2011, David has spent more than £90,000 learning extra qualifications and eating high-quality foods.
"Training and diet are unavoidable expenses. I spent £15,000 on rally racing, £6,000 on scuba diving, £3,000 on rock climbing and thousands on swimming and even trampoline instructors," he explained.
"I travelled the world to become a dive master. It's serious business and my instructor nearly died because a tube burst on a night dive.
"The upside has been swimming with dolphins and seeing things I could never even imagine in the underwater world.
"I need to stay on top of my game. When I'm training, I need to keep my calorie intake up and eat five organic and healthy meals a day."
David says every day is different and his training is diverse - one week he could be practising Muay Thai or learning stick fighting and another he could be working with Hollywood's best fight choreographer.
"On recovery days it's about saunas, steam rooms, ice baths, cold showers and meditation," David said. "I mainly follow a pescatarian diet, high proteins and lots of veggies and salads."
But all the crazy training and expenses have been worth it, as David has performed stunts in Dr Strange 2, Black Widow and Final Fantasy XV.
"I get to work my dream job, travel the world and have lifelong friends with the same adrenaline-filled passion as me," David added.
You can keep up-to-date on David's Instagram page @davidcheungofficial.
Do you have a wild real-life story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
