John Marrs’ specific skill set comes in handy on a Western set.
Marrs has had a colorful life, from serving in the Army for 21 years to walking longer. He’s been running his own gun training company for decades, being able to wrap a horse and perform the character as needed.
He can even play the dual role of an actor in a difficult situation.
Because “Terror on the Prairie“He was especially focused on one mission – keeping everyone safe while the stars exchanged cinematic gunfire.
The Daily Wire’s The Daily Wire stars Gina Carano as a front woman fighting against a bloodthirsty gang led by Nick Searcy.
“The days when I did the stunt were the days when we didn’t shoot any blanks,” says Marrs of committing to his duties on the set of “Terror.”
His presence, and attention to detail, ensures that nothing quite like the October 21 tragedy that occurred on the set of “Rust” in New Mexico happens again. Actor/producer Alec Baldwin points a gun at director Joel Souza and Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins during a scene rehearsal when double shot weapon.
A bullet entered Souza, who was rushed to the hospital and recovered. The second Hutchins was hit, who died from her wounds.
The investigation into the shooting found that established safety protocols were not followed in the letter. The Hutchins family filed a false lawsuit against the producers of “Rust’s,” including Baldwin.
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Marrs wasn’t willing to weigh in on the tragedy on the set of “Terror” last October, especially since there were so few details about the crash at the time.
“I just know that on set, I never deviate from my safety protocols. I don’t care how big a star someone is, there’s no deviation,” he said. “Safety is safe is safe.”
Marrs makes sure that there is never any real ammo on one of his sets, nor that the gun is loaded with empty or fake ammunition except right before the kill.
“As soon as the match is over, I’ll get it back,” he said of the weapon in play.
He says the attention to detail got some of his colleagues off track, but shooting “Rust” changed their minds on the subject.
“I’ve received a lot of messages from producers, directors and actors I’ve worked with in the past, thanking me for taking care of safety,” he said. “A producer told me on set that he wanted to strangle me because I was in so much pain in a**… now, he’s grateful that I was there.”
Marrs arrived in Hollywood about six years ago when a film producer asked him to train some actors in guns.
“The director liked the way I looked, and I started [acting] classes,” he says of his detour that not only provides safety in place but steps in front of the camera. Since then, he has acted in several films (“The Prototype”, “Heart of the Gun”) while also serving as a rental service worker.
Marrs, who calls Arizona home, said: “I do a lot of things in indie movies.
His brush with the show business taught him some lessons about actors using his weapons on screen.
“I’d rather the guy who’s never touched a gun and be honest about it than the guy who’s touched a gun once and now considers himself an expert,” he said.
Searcy, who plays the villain Captain Miller in the film, heeded Marrs’ advice.
“It was really easy for him to work with… some actors that I won’t name are not,” he said.
