VIDEO SPECIAL: Jean-Claude Van Damme Volvo Ad Goes Viral

By  //  November 16, 2013

53 year old actor performs 'epic split'

ABOVE VIDEO: Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, 53, performs an epic split between two moving trucks in a Volvo video commercial to demonstrate the precision and directional stability of the new VolvoFMX truck.

Jean-Claude Van Damme is a Belgian martial artist, actor, and director best known for his martial arts action films. The most successful of these films include Bloodsport (1988), Kickboxer (1989), Universal Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), Street Fighter (1994), Timecop (1994), Sudden Death (1995), JCVD (2008) and The Expendables 2 (2012).
Jean-Claude Van Damme is a Belgian martial artist, actor, and director best known for his martial arts action films. The most successful of these films include Bloodsport (1988), Kickboxer (1989), Universal Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), Street Fighter (1994), Timecop (1994), Sudden Death (1995), JCVD (2008) and The Expendables 2 (2012).

Since Van Damme’s Volvo ad went viral since its release on Wednesday, many commenters have wondered whether the action star’s spectacular stunt is real. According to Volvo it indeed was, though it wasn’t nearly as dangerous as it looked, and told The Wall Street Journal that the stunt is real and was done in just one take.

“It’s a daring stunt but we had full control,” Anders Vilhelmsson, public relations manager for Volvo Trucks.  “There was never any real danger involved.”

Vilhelmsson said Damme was actually connected to safety lines that you can’t see in the video and 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 almost 11 milllion 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.