Since Jean-Claude Van Damme's Volvo ad went viral this week, many commenters have wondered whether the action star's spectacular stunt is real. The answer from Volvo: Indeed it was, though it wasn't nearly as dangerous as it looked.
A rep for the company told The Wall Street Journal that 'the stunt is real and is performed in just one take,” said Anders Vilhelmsson, public relations manager for the Volvo Trucks brand. “It’s a daring stunt but we had full control. There was never any real danger involved.”
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How? Van Damme was actually connected to safety lines that you can't see in the video. Small platforms on the trucks' side mirrors also propped up Van Damme's feet.
"Epic Split," which was released on Nov. 13, is up to 8.2 million views on YouTube. The ad is part of a series of stunts by Volvo Trucks. A previous video, "The Ballerina Stunt," (below) has received 7.4 million views since August.