You won’t find Cody Kiser at this year’s NFR, but you will find him working as a stuntman in the 2014 blockerbuster hit “American Sniper” starring Bradley Cooper.
The biographical war drama was directed by Clint Eastwood, and told the story of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle.
Kiser, who rode Saturn Rocket for a 75.5-point score Friday at the Pendleton Round-Up, stepped in for Bradley during the scene that shows Kyle riding broncs during his rodeo days before he joined the Navy.
“That was the coolest thing I have ever done,” Kiser said. “I got to hang out for a day with Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper. Clint told me I looked a lot like Bradley. They said they wished they had me for the whole movie.”
A friend of Kiser’s who does stunt work in California put Kiser in touch with the people from the movie.
“They needed a bareback rider who had a certain look,” he said. “They had me and a saddle bronc rider, but he couldn’t ride bareback very well, so the job was mine.”
Kiser, 27, said he was living in Texas near where Kyle was shot in 2013, and that he had a friend working at the Rough Creek Ranch-Lodge in Erath County, Texas, where Kyle was shot.
“It’s such a small world,” he said.
Kiser earned a nice paycheck for his work, but said playing Kyle, even in a stunt role, was an honor.
“To be a part of that was unreal,” he said.
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.