Citadel Stunt Coordinator On Working With Richard Madden And Priyanka Chopra Jonas, And How They Did ‘Nearly All’ Of Their Own Work
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Very minor spoilers for Prime Video’s Citadel lie ahead.
Amazon Prime Video has released a number of major titles since its conception, and Citadel, which premiered at the end of April, is now a part of that roster. The espionage series is one of the most ambitious productions the streamer has ever produced, as it was shot in various places across the globe and features major set pieces. At the center of it all, though, are its two leads – Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Both certainly know how to act, but they’ve also become quite adept at performing action sequences. Those skills apparently shone through while they worked on the drama series, according to one of its stunt coordinators, who also says they did “nearly all” of their own stunt work.
James Young has worked with a lot of actors in his time, as he’s collaborated with dozens simply through the various Marvel Cinematic Universe films he’s done. Of course, each star brings something different to the table so, when I had the chance to speak to Young about his Citadel work, I couldn’t help but ask him what it was like collaborating with its main stars. The jovial stunt expert had nothing but good things to say about his colleagues while discussing how he and co-coordinator Don Theerathada felt out the actors’ skill sets early on:
It was fantastic working with both of them. I absolutely love Richard and Pri. And they did nearly all, if not most of their stuff. … When we come in, we kind of assess – see what their physical abilities are – and we kind of build everything to what they are and what their characters’ decisions should be. So they were great. They were open, collaborative, they did everything we asked, they had fun with us, they had a lot of fun. And that's all we could have asked for, and I think it comes out in the action. Like, when you’re having actors going to a place like that with physical violence, you have to bring them out of it. You have to, you know, show both sides of the coin. You're going to do a heavy intense action sequence while the crew’s gonna have fun in between these takes.
Those who’ve used a Prime Video subscription to stream Citadel surely know that the stars had to take part in some physically demanding scenes. The opening scene of the pilot alone exemplifies that perfectly, as their characters, Nadia Sinh and Mason Kane, get into a serious brawl on a train. There’s also that cabin fight that sees Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Nadia going toe to toe with a brute. Speaking of Chopra Jonas, the stunt coordinator had even more praise to heap on her:
[Priyanka's] phenomenal. I mean, she's one of the best I've worked with in terms of action. She's got brilliant instincts, she can move incredibly well. She picks up choreography super quick.
The actress has been getting it done for quite a while now and seems to be truly committed to her craft. For instance, what you may not know about the Matrix star is that she even suffered a concussion while performing a stunt for her ABC drama, Quantico. Co-star Richard Madden is no slouch either, though, as you can see by his vast body of work. I had the chance to speak with him recently, and he explained that he’s learned a lot from doing stunts. Though that it must not be easy to take on all of that wear and tear, James Young suggests that the Eternals star usually gung ho when it comes to his work:
Richard’s just a dog, I love him. He's a good guy, man. … When he gets into his action sequences, he's really fun to work with. … What's fun is like, he'll give you both sides of his character. He'll give you doggy determination and that cheeky rogue. So it's kind of fun to kind of play where those moments come up in these sequences.
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The seasoned stuntman summed both of the actors up as “brilliant” and, based on all of the work they’ve done, I’d say that’s definitely a fitting assessment. I also asked James Young if he could tease anything about this week’s season finale, and he’d only say that it’s “shocking, as it should be.” Still, I assume that Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas are going to get some sweet action-heavy moments to close things out. And if the show is renewed for a second season (and their characters survive this latest installment), they’ll likely have even more stunts to perform in the near future.
New episodes of Citadel hit Amazon Prime Video on Fridays as part of the 2023 TV schedule.
