HE TAUGHT Tom Cruise his fight-scene moves and prepared Batman for battle. But for trainer to the stars Andy Norman, who is from Anlaby, nothing beats coming home and catching up with family and friends.
On his short trip home, the 43-year-old father squeezed in time to check in on students taking his Defence Lab martial art classes at Hull gym Fit24.
He left them feeling inspired and motivated after sharing his stories of training Hollywood superstars, including the most recent, Tom Cruise, for his hit blockbuster film Jack Reacher.
"I have been bouncing all over the world working on various films, so it is great to come back to Hull and catch up with my parents and seeing friends and family", said Andy, who now lives in Italy.
The rare trip home to see parents Eric and Diane in Anlaby and brother Stuart and his wife, Ivy, in Beverley, was a welcome break from Andy's packed schedule.
He is the head of Global Martial Arts Federation and in the space of seven years, has become one of the most sought-after martial arts trainer in show business.
He taught Batman how to fight in three of the movies and James Bond in Quantum of Solace.
He also worked with the likes of Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Liam Neeson – who is now a close friend – and his films include Mission Impossible 3, Clash Of The Titans, Wrath Of The Titans and Game Of Thrones.
Andy said: "Tom Cruise was awesome to work with. He was totally focused and an amazing actor. He has this aura about him. He is super-fit, he works out, trains hard and did all his own stunts.
"Actors are a different breed of people. They are so in the zone and a lot of them seem to have photographic memories. You show them something and they pick it up really quickly.
"It is cool seeing the fight scenes on the big screen but you watch the film in a different context. You see scenes and remember what was happening behind the cameras. There is a completely different vibe."
Andy hopes his stories are an inspiration to students and always visits one of the classes, run by his right-hand-man and international crew member of Defence Lab Paul Strauther, 31.
"Coming here connects the two worlds together," said Andy. "People can say 'I'm training the same as Tom Cruise'. It is a massive motivation for them.
"The best thing out of all it for me is that my eight-year-old son, Kai, thinks it's amazing his dad trains Batman."
Student Dominic Robinson, 13, is perfecting "The Hammer" move, with mum Michelle Bonde, 43, and her fiancé, Chris Rowse, 43.
He said: "It is exciting, it's fun. I like the Batman films, so it is great to see Andy here."
