Edmonton-born actor David MacInnis goes toe-to-toe with Bob Odenkirk in Nobody 2

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David MacInnis can’t deny that he had to overcome the impulse to fanboy when attacking Bob Odenkirk.

Let’s just back up a bit here and clarify that MacInnes wasn’t attacking the Better Call Saul star for absolutely no reason. It was all in service of the script to Nobody 2, where MacInnis plays Toby, a “too big for his britches” amusement park security guard.

“I was yelling at Bob, right? I mean, how much fun is that?” says the Edmonton-born MacInnis from his home in Winnipeg. “Your brain is going, ‘this is someone that I see on a screen. How can they be standing in front of me?’ And then you get into your fight scene, and that kind of goes away.”

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This is the first time MacInnis can claim to have yelled at Odenkirk, but he has a lot of experience with fight scenes in movies and television. While he’s a graduate of the BFA acting program at the University of Alberta, MacInnis has used his training in martial arts and dance to land a number of more physical roles in shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Reacher. As he’s quick to point out, though, he’s not a stunt man, he’s a stunt actor.

It’s a specialized niche, but one that’s allowed him to get his foot in the door. He doesn’t do falls, he doesn’t do stunts with cars. He can’t ride a horse, he wryly points out. He’s a stunt performer who also has acting skills.

“People think that if you want to get into stunts, you need to be a real fighter,” he notes. “But real fighters sometimes have a hard transition into this because they’re working against natural reactions and instincts that they built up through their training. Throwing a real punch on camera doesn’t look good. So, coming more from a dance background, I think, helped sort of move me into stunts.”

It’s been something of an uphill battle for MacInnis, but he’s put together an impressive resume despite the fact that the industry has at times not been sure how to use him. You can see him in episodes of Smallville, Stargate Atlantis, and The Handmaid’s Tale. He’s got a role in the upcoming movie about the assassination of JFK, November 1963, and you’ll see him in the highly anticipated The Long Walk, based on Stephen King/Richard Bachman’s novel of the same name.

“It’s directed by Francis Lawrence, and he might be the greatest director I’ve ever had a chance to work with,” says MacInnis. “He would wrap us out by lunch on some days, and that never happens. The script is so good, and working with Mark Hamill on that set was one of the major moments in my career as well.”

MacInnis is now settled in Winnipeg, which might seem like a strange decision to make for someone who makes their living in the industry. But as the actor points out, the world has changed. Because of various factors, the Manitoba capital has become a player in the world of movies and television.

MacInnis was actually hunkered down in Vancouver with his family when he heeded the call of an old friend and casting director. Rather than transplanting to Toronto, he opted for Winnipeg, where the tax credit has attracted major players. Also attractive was the idea of being “a medium fish in a small pond.”

Practicality is very important, especially where family is involved, but MacInnis can also nerd out on the talent that Winnipeg has thrown out. There’s a certain amount of side discussion about directors like Matthew Rankin and Guy Maddin, but also just the differences between smaller cities and larger ones. MacInnis is very focused on his career, but he’s also aware of how quality of life can affect.

“Winnipeg reminds me of the Edmonton that I grew up in, and I guess I didn’t realize how much I missed living on the prairies and just being around prairie folk,” he says. “I’d be asking for directions in Toronto and people wouldn’t even look at me, you know. So, just walking on a path and having someone say ‘hello’ is really great.”

MacInnis is a jobbing actor, and one who is well aware of how his industry is currently in a tenuous position. He’s pulling all the threads together as we talk, from geopolitical tensions to escalating production costs, social media and the ways in which newer generations are consuming media. When discussing film and television with his younger colleagues, he’s noted that many aren’t even watching movies.

“A few things could happen, but maybe we’ll see a renaissance of indie film,” he says. “That’s what I’m hoping for. I think (indie production companies) Blumhouse and A24 have realized that there is a market for these two to 10 million dollar films. I mean, we need these tentpole productions like Top Gun: Maverick and Marvel and DC to get people to theatres, but then you need to get them to come back for other movies that people can afford to produce, right? That’s how the original Nobody started, right, it was this kind of a lower-budget, out-of-nowhere action film that wasn’t expected to do anything, but did. We need space for these films.”

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