Floyd Anthony Johns Jr. is a stuntman with over 100 TV and movie credits to his name. One of his most recent roles: a Jabari Warrior in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” 
“You always think stunts is like an extreme sport,” Johns said. “It’s not. It’s all about you hitting the ground, hitting the concrete, and getting back up. And most importantly, networking with different people.”
Johns, who graduated from LSU in 2015 with a political science degree, got his start in film while still in college.
As a student, Johns worked with the LSU football department. A former player who frequently visited the program recommended Johns go down to New Orleans to meet the stunt coordinator for “The Butler,” a 2013 historical drama starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.
Johns turned the opportunity down twice before going to “The Butler” set. He was hired on the spot.
“Before that, I would have never thought I would be a stuntman, or I would be in certain spots doing crazy things,” Johns said.
Johns worked on “The Butler” for two weeks. As a college student, he was impressed with the amount of money he made in such a short time. He began picking up stunt jobs on the side.
Though he originally planned to work for the government or law enforcement, after college graduation, Johns turned stunts into a full time career.
“It drastically changed my life, and it’s so much freedom,” Johns said. “I don’t work an average nine to five.”
Instead, Johns spends his days sending headshots to stunt coordinators, traveling to different cities to work on TV and movie sets and learning fight scene choreography.
He can bounce around a lot — work on a show in New Orleans for one day and then fly to New York to work on a different show the next. He’s been in episodes of shows like “NCIS: New Orleans” and “Star Trek: Picard.” He was a stunt driver in “Empire.” He’s appeared in movies like “Get Out,” where he served as Daniel Kaluuya’s stunt double. 
His first break into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was as the stunt double for Bokeem Woodbine, who played “Shocker” in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
A short time later, “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler picked Johns’ headshot to become one of M’Baku’s bodyguards, a Jabari Warrior. Johns reprised his role as a Jabari Warrior in “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Johns worked on “Wakanda Forever” for seven months. At the start of production, he arrived at basecamp around 5 a.m. After about an hour of hair and makeup, Johns and his fellow Jabari Warriors were in full costume, ready to go on set. He said they filmed from sunup to sundown, about 12-hour days. Toward the end of filming, during crunch time, those hours could stretch even longer.
There were a few differences between the first “Black Panther” and “Wakanda Forever.”
Johns described his role in the sequel as more of a stunt actor. He said in “Wakanda Forever,” the Jabari Warriors were included more alongside the cast, whereas in “Black Panther,” their role involved more physical stunts and hand-to-hand combat with spears. 
Most notably, Johns said the cast of “Wakanda Forever” felt Chadwick Boseman’s absence. Boseman, who played T’Challa, the Black Panther, passed away from colon cancer in 2020, before filming for “Wakanda Forever” began.
“You could feel that he wasn’t there, but you could feel his soul there. Every morning we prayed for his family, his soul, just because we lost a great guy,” said Johns, who had worked with Boseman several times before through Marvel movies and the 2014 James Brown biopic “Get on Up.” 
“Wakanda Forever” further pays tribute to Boseman on the big screen, as the plot centers around Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, coping with her brother T’Challa’s death.
The movie was released on Nov. 11 and remains in theaters.
As part of their role in the production, Johns and three other Jabari Warriors got to attend the “Wakanda Forever” world premiere in Los Angeles.
Johns said he has quite a bit of screen time in the 161-minute-long film. Without giving away any spoilers, he said the best place to look for him is in the invasion of Wakanda.
Though he doesn’t usually watch every show or movie he’s a part of, Johns was excited to see “Wakanda Forever.”
“In my opinion, it’s a big woman empowerment movie for all cultures,” Johns said.
Empowering and spotlighting the talents of all people is something that’s important to Johns. Throughout the course of his career, he said he’s seen the diversity of the stunt industry grow and hopes that trend continues.
As for his future plans, Johns hopes to continue gaining experience in the film industry. He wants to become a stunt coordinator and progress to a second-unit director. A second-unit director oversees all the action scenes in a film, from car chases to pyrotechnic explosions. Far into the future, when he can’t move around as well, Johns aspires to transition to the director role and direct episodes of TV shows.
Personally, he hopes to explore four new countries every year. He’s been to 13 so far and loves bringing back gifts for his mom. 
“I’m just blessed that I’m in the position I’m in,” Johns said. “I can’t believe I do it. I’m very thankful.”

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Photo Courtesy of Floyd Anthony Johns Jr.

Floyd Anthony Johns Jr. takes a photo with actor Winston Duke, who portrays M'Baku in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."