The abseil team spent most of July 1st 150ft up in the air praying that actor/director David Hayman wouldn’t be caught abseiling in a thunderstorm. Threatening dark clouds kept brewing overhead, and as photographers and cameramen started crowding round the edge to get the best possible shot it seemed like we were about to be in the middle of a lightning-lit downpour, rope perilously swaying in the torrential wind and rain… Luckily though it didn’t happen, and the abseil/photoshoot all went off without a hitch. Cut the dramatic intro.
David Hayman displayed the kind of calm nerves you would expect from a man who has volunteered to perform his own stunts whereever possible – including “hanging face-down off the edge of the cliff faces, I just love it”. Hayman has starred alongside Bruce Willis and Pierce Brosnan, and I was impressed with the charm and charisma he exuded without being slick or shiny at all. Just a chilled-out, down to earth chap who even stopped to have a bit of a chat with the cameramen while hanging off the side of the Titan Crane. His son Sean (15) who did the abseil as well was just as calm too – puts terrified abseilers like to me to shame!
Hayman appeared on STV’s The Hour and you can see him do the abseil and talk about the experience here: http://programmes.stv.tv/the-hour/news-gossip/107156-scottish-actor-david-hayman-abseils-off-titan-crane-for-charity/
