The Weeknd showed no fear while filming his thrilling performance for Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards, according to the two men who came up with the car choreography concept.
“There was a lot of trust with those cars going by,” writer Charlie Morse told Billboard. “He didn’t seem nervous at all, which really weirded us out, because these cars were just barreling by him and he was calm, kept his composure, walked slow and just didn’t look back.
“It was kind of amazing.”
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The video, shot in the parking lot of the Westfield Santa Anita mall in Arcadia, California, featured The Weeknd singing his hit "Save Your Tears" surrounded by vintage cars and several transport trucks.
Morse and director Alex Lill were inspired by the Esther Williams films of the late 1940s and early ‘50s, which featured colourful synchronized swimming montages.
“We weren’t trying to do a Fast & Furious type thing, it was very much about synchronicity and elegance,” Lill explained.
It took a week to acquire 20 vintage cars and then Hollywood stunt coordinator Charles Grisham worked with a team of stunt drivers equipped with walkie-talkies to rehearse the choreography for 16 hours over two days.
Lill said the day before filming the video, he asked if the cars and transport trucks could move closer to The Weeknd, who was all for it. What’s more, the Canadian singer delivered live vocals.
“That’s a testament to him,” said Morse.