Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Thom Khoury Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Thom Khoury with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I grew up as an only child, and a latchkey kid at that. For those unfamiliar, a latchkey kid was when both parents were working and I was all alone after school. I’d go home alone and was responsible for myself for a good portion of the afternoon/evening. I had to be motivated, I had to learn to get things done on my own and I’ve always taken pride in that. I love being independent, I love succeeding and progressing. I never want to be complacent and keep striving to be bigger and better. On top of that, my parents were both strong willed individuals and strived to make their and our lives better. I learned a lot from both of them about personal responsibility and success that I strive to extend to my own children.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a 2nd unit director and stunt coordinator in the film and television industry. I have two primetime EMMY nominations from “The Punisher” on Netflix and “Doom Patrol” which is on MAX. I’ve been in the business for 27 years now, getting my start back in 1996 doing live stunt shows at theme parks. I got into that Bec cause I was a cheerleader in college and one of my friends was doing the Batman Stunt Show at 6 Flags Over Texas. She got me involved and I knew immediately I was going to leave Texas, move to Hollywood and make this my career. As a performer I almost always played a Thug or a Goon of some sort. I was paid to get beat up by the lead actors, the people way better looking than me LOL. I also had a bevy of actors I doubled coming up, amazing gentlemen like Ethan Suplee, Greg Grunberg, Brad Grunberg, Eric Stonestreet, Jorge Garcia and many others. Performing was a lot if fun, but I really found my love for the business in stunt coordinating and now directing. I didn’t realize I’d love being behind the camera even more than in front of it, but I really do. I love the creative aspect of designing action sequences and seeing them play out in front of my eyes. Fights, fire, car chases, you name it; it’s SO much fun putting it all together and stretching my mental limits. As I progress I now want to move into being a main unit director. I want to create and shoot my own movies and TV shows. Some of my recent shows include “Class of 09” on Hulu, and the upcoming shows Haunted Mansion, Run for the Money and Good Burger 2!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As I said, my determination was definitely one, and my background in gymnastics/agility very much played into my transition into the stunt business. I’ve also always had a great sense of “spatial awareness.” Knowing where my body is in relation to things around me and the ground. It translates into great air sense and timing. Timing to me is one of, if not THE most important skill a stunt performer can have. Work your sense of timing by fighting and reacting to a wide range of opponents that have different speeds and strengths, including sparring/training with multiple opponents at the same time!
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing that my parents did for me was showing me they supported me 100%! When I made the decision to forgo my college degree and move to California to pursue the entertainment industry, my parents didn’t even blink. The exact opposite happened, they got very excited and found ways to help me get there. My mom and dad stood behind me the entire time and it’s always made me so happy when they got to come visit set and see what I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: re-actionstunts.com
- Instagram: @ThomFoolery_ENT
- Twitter: @ThomWilliams
