VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: French Action Star Nassim Lyes ‘Regrets’ Doing Some His Own Stunts In Film ‘Mayhem!’

French kickboxing champ and action film star Nassim Lyes said he performed the majority of the stunts in his new action thriller, Mayhem, in his new uInterview.

In a conversation with uInterview founder Erik Meers, Lyes opened up about his experience on the set of Mayhem! as an actor with a real-life background in kickboxing. Lyes revealed that he did approximately 95% of his stunts in the movie, of which many were real.

Lyes stated that almost all of the body shots that took place in the film were real. However, Lyes confessed that he quickly regretted the decision to appeal to such authenticity, as his second fight in the movie was against a former Thai champion, whom Lyes was scared would break his ribs.

Despite his heavy involvement in the stunts, Lyes gave a shout-out to his body double, as his boxing background sometimes made it “hard to not hit for real.” He stated that for hard punches, his body double was enlisted to ensure that Lyes did not injure anyone with his real-life skills.

“For example in the corridor….there’s this kick on the face, and the guy like goes through a wall,” he said. “And it was a real kick on the face, so for that kick, [the director] was like, ’Nassim, I’d be more comfortable if it’s your double because…I don’t [want] anyone to…have his neck break on set.”

Mayhem! follows Lyes as Sam, an ex-convict and skilled fighter who is forced to flee France for Thailand after he accidentally kills a gangster who attempted to drag him back into a life of crime. The story continues as Sam participates in kickboxing matches in a bid to support his pregnant girlfriend (played by Loryn Nounay) and her young daughter (Chananticha Chaipa). However, he soon realizes that his aspirations for a better life require him to confront a corrupt crime boss (Olivier Gourmet). Sam is then pressured to utilize his airport job for illicit purposes and finds himself thrust into a high-stakes mission to save his family.

While Mayhem! showcases Lyes’ impressive fighting abilities, it also demonstrates his aptitude for the portrayal of the multifaceted emotions and tension woven throughout the narrative.

Mayem! is now in theaters and available to rent on pay-per-view platforms.