When the hit film "The Greatest Showman" premiered in December 2017, millions of moviegoers were entranced by the acrobatic duet performed by Zac Efron and Zendaya — dangling on a rope high above a circus floor, flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Through Hollywood magic, it appears that Efron leaps effortlessly from a balcony to catch the swinging rope. But that daring young man is actually Josh Fried '10 — Efron's stunt double.
Fried, a former All-American in men's gymnastics, is one of a growing number of highly accomplished William & Mary gymnasts finding success in the entertainment field, from Las Vegas to Disney World. No strangers to risky moves, they've swung from helicopters, bounced off speeding cars, juggled fire knives, backflipped into water from 35-foot heights and leapt 40 feet in the air on the world's largest trampoline.
Appearing alongside famous names in high-profile productions can seem surreal, Fried says. "It's still strange to me that I'm crossing paths with these people, especially someone like Zac — he was a household name years before I became a performer. When you're working with these people, you're like, 'How did my life get here?'"
The short answer: William & Mary.
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