My Uber Driver Is a Stunt Double

You never know who's behind the wheel—this time, it was a real-life superhero.

After a long international trip, I ordered an Uber from LAX, exhausted and excited to get home. My first driver seemed stuck in place, barely moving, so I canceled and tried again. That decision changed the entire ride and shifted my perspective.

The second driver pulled up and the energy was different from the start. Most Uber rides are silent or filled with awkward small talk. But this guy was different: energetic, sharp, and full of perspective. We immediately clicked, talking about everything from the state of the world to our common struggles.

Then he asked, “Are you some kind of activist or a leader?”

I laughed. “No, I’m a soccer player.”

I asked him the same question.

That’s when the conversation took an unexpected turn.

He pulled out his phone and showed me a video montage of him as an actor and stunt double. It featured scenes from Fast & Furious, Mission Impossible III, Avatar, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and many more. Music videos with Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, and even performing as a stunt double for Barack Obama, doing a backflip while he was president.

His name was Erik Betts.

A selfie with Erik Betts

The Life Behind the Stunts

Erik is a self-taught gymnast and martial artist who’s been in the entertainment industry since the early 90s. He’s done everything from acting and stunt doubling to coaching A-list actors for their roles. He was even a Power Ranger—yes, really—and worked on everything from action films to music videos.

At this point, I was in awe. I couldn’t believe that someone with this résumé, who had risked his life doing stunts in Hollywood’s biggest movies, was now driving an Uber just to make ends meet.

But then he told me how acting isn’t a stable job unless you’re in the top 1%.

He explained how the entertainment industry glamorizes the few and forgets the many. Most working actors and stunt performers live from job to job, and when the work stops, so does the income.

The Strike That Shook the Industry

In 2023, the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike brought Hollywood to a standstill. Actors and performers demanded fair pay and protections, especially with the rise of streaming and AI. But for people like Erik, it meant job cancellations, delayed productions, and complete uncertainty.

He told me he had lost 40 pounds for a stunt role as Commissioner Gordon in the upcoming The Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson, training relentlessly to meet the exact physical demands of the part. But just before production began, the film was put on indefinite hold due to a series of industry strikes including the Hair, Makeup & Wardrobe Strike, the Teamsters Transportation Strike, and the recently concluded Video Game Actors Strike, which had lasted around a year. Unlike stars like Pattinson, whose roles are secure regardless of delays, stunt doubles don’t have that same luxury. Now, with no clear timeline for resumption, there’s no guarantee he’ll still have the role when filming picks back up.

That one job could have supported him for two or three years. Now, he’s driving Uber to pay the bills.

The Reality of Risk

The physical toll of stunt work is no joke. Erik described how real the falls, crashes, and fights are except they don’t happen to the famous actors. They happen to people like him.

Back in 1996, he had a near career-ending injury a shattered hip and thigh during a shoot that required five surgeries and nearly three years of rehab. Most people wouldn’t recover. Erik somehow did. And he went right back to work.

But there’s little protection for stunt performers. No fame. No million-dollar contracts. Just passion, pain, and a paycheck that disappears the moment the cameras stop rolling.

A Broken System

As he dropped me off, I was hit with a strange feeling: admiration and sadness.

Erik Betts has done more in one career than most of us ever will. He’s flown through the air, taken hits, doubled for household names, and trained the stars we cheer for. Yet at 57, he’s driving strangers home in LA traffic just to survive.

It’s a harsh reminder of how broken the system is. It rewards visibility, not value. Fame, not sacrifice.

Before I left, we snapped a quick selfie. I thanked him not just for the ride, but for being the one behind the scenes taking the real hits, quietly holding up the blockbuster dreams of others.

Erik, you’re a real one—the true superhero.