It’s not uncommon for an actor to be fired from a project, whether it be for bad behavior, last minute scheduling changes, or new ideas in casting. Eric Stoltz was let go from Back to the Future after a few weeks of shooting. Action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme was fired from the lead role in Predator. When future Saturday Night Live star David Spade landed his first big movie role in the long-running Police Academy franchise, he would initially be assisted by a star in the making with his skateboarding stunt double, Tony Hawk. For an unexpected albeit hilarious reason, however, Hawk was fired from the movie.
‘Police Academy 4’ Was David Spade’s Movie Debut
Released in the spring of 1987, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol was an infamous entry in the low-brow, sight-gag comedy franchise. The original Police Academy released in 1984 was an R-rated Stripes meets An Officer and a Gentlemen romp that shocked Hollywood when it became one of the highest earners at the year-end box office. Beginning with 1985’s Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, the franchise quickly devolved into a PG-friendly guilty pleasure aimed at kids, eventually spawning an animated series and a toy line. Though the fourth entry marked a low point in the Police Academy franchise, it was an opportunity for Spade and Hawk to showcase their talents to a wider audience.
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Spade was a 22-year-old college dropout who moved from Arizona to California to pursue stand-up comedy in the mid-‘80s. While performing regularly at L.A.’s The Improv, Spade was cast as teenage delinquent skateboarder Kyle Rumford in the fourth Police Academy installment. The plot centered on Commandant Eric Lassard (George Gaynes) organizing a joint police/community program called “Citizens On Patrol” (C.O.P.). The academy grads, led by franchise leading man Sgt. Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), hit the streets to recruit civilian volunteers for the program. They eventually come across Kyle and his buddy Arnie (Fast Times at Ridgemont High’s Brian Backer) after getting caught skateboarding in a shopping mall by the uptight Captain Harris (G.W. Bailey). Just as they’re about to face serious legal jeopardy, Mahoney takes Kyle and Arnie under his wing to enroll them into the program to avoid stiff penalties.
Neither Spade nor Backer had much prior skateboarding experience to pull off the two-and-a-half-minute sequence in Police Academy 4. This was when a 17-year-old Hawk, real name Anthony Frank Hawk, came into the picture. The future skateboard icon was a gifted child prodigy who went pro at age 14. His skills were showcased in a 1981 episode of Captain Kangaroo, and later he landed the part of a “Pool Skater” in the little skateboard-themed movie Thrashin’ starring a post-GooniesJosh Brolin. During a 2023 interview on Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast, Hawk recalls auditioning for Citizens on Patrol for a speaking part. Though Hawk did not land the role he auditioned for, producers were impressed with Hawk’s skateboard skills and hired him to double for Spade. The fact that both Spade and Hawk were physically goofy-footed was key to making the audience believe that Spade’s character was an incredibly gifted skater.
Tony Hawk Was Way Too Tall To Be David Spade’s Stunt Double
Hawk was hired alongside members of the famous Bones Brigade team led by skateboarding legend Stacy Peralta, who also served as the second unit director on Citizens on Patrol. The lengthy sequence involved Kyle, Arnie, and their crew, played by the Bone Brigade skateboarders, riding through the streets at night to stop at the shopping mall. Played as a typical ‘80s montage to the track “Shoot For the Top” by Southern Pacific, the sequence is as colorful as the actors’ bright wardrobe with the characters executing high jumps and leaps off ledges. Between the stunts, the handheld camerawork, and the MTV-inspired editing, this was the most skillfully crafted sequence in any Police Academy sequel.
Had things gone well, Citizens on Patrol could have been Hawk’s big breakthrough in Hollywood. Time was not on Hawk’s side, however, when the skateboard sequence was scheduled to be shot in Toronto. Hawk was pushing 18 when the movie began production in 1986. He had a significant growth spurt at 6’2, making him taller than 5’7 Spade. Hawk recalls this caused an issue for director Jim Drake, who was impressed by his skateboarding on camera, but felt that his lack of physical resemblance to Spade was too distracting. Peralta made efforts to help Hawk by encouraging him to lower his body to match with Spade. Sadly, the future skateboard icon was fired despite his best efforts.
Is Tony Hawk Still in ‘Police Academy 4’?
Director Drake went on to replace Hawk with another skateboard pro, Chris Miller, the founder of the Planet Earth skating company. Though he better resembled Spade physically, his skateboard talents contrasted with Hawk. According to Hawk, Miller was a regular-footed skateboarder unlike Spade, creating continuous issues with his stance and movement. But Hawk still made the final cut for one shot where Spade’s character jumped several steps on the skateboard. When the comedian failed to do it himself after one take, Peralta replaced Spade with Hawk in what was a cakewalk for the future pro skateboarding hero.
Hawk landed another movie gig shortly after, in another skateboard-themed project, Gleaming the Cube, starring Christian Slater. But his fame in the skateboarding world continued to rise in the ‘90s as he became the pioneer of the “900” landing trick. Additionally, Hawk transformed into a household name thanks to his popular video game line, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, launching 20 games since its inaugural title in 1999. Though Police Academy 4 was a regrettable experience, Hawk’s talents rose above industry adversity while the franchise remains beloved and hated simultaneously.
Police Academy 4 is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
Rent on Prime Video
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
- Release Date
- April 2, 1987
- Director
- Jim Drake
- Cast
- Bubba Smith , Steve Guttenberg , Michael Winslow , David Graf , Tim Kazurinsky , Sharon Stone , Leslie Easterbrook , Marion Ramsey , Lance Kinsey , G.W. Bailey , Bobcat Goldthwait , George Gaynes , Derek McGrath , Scott Thomson , Billie Bird , George R. Robertson , Brian Tochi , Brian Backer , David Spade , Tab Thacker , Corinne Bohrer , Randall “Tex” Cobb , Michael McManus , Colleen Camp , Andrew Paris
- Runtime
- 88 minutes
