Vanity Fair Italy: It can’t have been easy to pass the auditions…
Simone “Sinck” Moncada: It wasn’t, in fact—tons of students apply every year. I managed to stand out thanks to my hip-hop style and, in general, because my skills were a bit different from the traditional ones. I was also lucky enough to receive a scholarship. The school required a significant financial commitment: at the time, it was about [$28,000] a year, for three years. That’s how I began this London adventure. And my older brother came with me.
How did you make the transition from dance to stunt performer?
Right after graduation, I started auditioning. My first job was in a West End musical for two years, followed by various projects related to events like Expo 2020 in Dubai. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned to Syracuse for a few months. There, I discovered they were looking for special extras for Joe Wright’s film Cyrano, which was being filmed in Sicily. I put myself forward, and that’s how I entered the world of film for the first time. Upon returning to London, I reached out to agencies specializing in the field, such as Take3 Agency, with whom I currently work and through whom I’ve participated in several seasons of Netflix and Disney+ series, such as The Witcher, The Nevers, and Pistol.
Until the recent casting call for Nolan’s The Odyssey…
They contacted me through my agency. They needed Odysseus’s crew—his men. We had to take part in action-packed and combat scenes. Being out on the open sea, fighting, doing lots of falls and runs—in short, it required a lot of action. Most of the time, however, would be spent rowing on one of the largest authentic ancient ships in the world, which was used specifically for filming the movie. For the role, I even grew a very long beard for six months, because the production team had asked me to. I’d never done that before—it was a bit of a challenge.
What qualities must a stunt performer have?
They need to have as many skills as possible. Mine cover practically every dance style: hip hop, breaking, popping, locking, house, commercial, jazz, contemporary fusion, and freestyle. I’m also skilled in athletic disciplines like tricking, acrobatics, stage combat (armed and unarmed), parkour and free running, slack lining, and various other sports. The great thing is that sometimes we even learn new skills: for The Odyssey, it was rowing a boat; in other cases, it’s been archery or a different type of martial art.
How much training is needed?
Personally, I train constantly to keep my body active and avoid injuries. I try to train differently every day: if I don’t go to the gym, I do sports that keep me moving. I’m passionate about surfing, and whenever I get the chance, I go. I also stick to my core disciplines: dance, breaking, and acrobatic movements.
Was there any specific preparation for the Odyssey set?
We were told in advance that we’d be rowing on a boat, doing combat scenes, and running. So I had to focus my training mainly on endurance, and I worked with professional trainers even before filming began. Then, ten days before filming, we underwent intensive training in Greece to learn how to row the film’s boats on our own, which requires a specific technique. On these boats, you row in pairs, and it was the real crew who taught us how to sail.
What was the most difficult part?
Trying never to give up. We rowed all day long, even in rough seas. We spent nearly four months at sea, sailing almost every day—often from early morning until sunset. It wasn’t easy at all; sometimes we got very little sleep, and the weather conditions were almost extreme. But the adrenaline and the thought of being there, surrounded by the industry’s top professionals, reassured us and kept that weight from getting to us.
