If there are "it" guys in the stunt world, Waimanalo native Nito Larioza may well be, well, it.

Larioza, a graduate of Pearl City High School who now lives in Los Angeles, has finished work as "Assassin Car Shooter" in Peter Berg's "The Kingdom," and is wrapping up motion-capture work for Michael Bay's upcoming "Transformers" film. He's also gearing up for a busy 2007, with stunt work scheduled for James Cameron's "Avatar" and "House of Fury," the new project by Stephen Chow ("Kung Fu Hustle").

"All I do is practice and hustle," Larioza said during a recent visit home. "That's what it's all about. I love what I do and to do what I love for a living is awesome. This is my niche and my life, and I love it."

Producers, directors and stunt coordinators all over Hollywood seem to be falling in love with Larioza, too.

One secret to his success, in addition to all that practicing and hustling for work, is the unique blend of dance, martial arts and gymnastics that Larioza is able to draw from for each assignment.

Larioza grew up practicing hula and Filipino dance, then excelled in gymnastics until a broken ankle sidelined him.

In high school, he shrugged off the snickers of close-minded classmates and joined the cheerleading team. It was an experience that would help him when he landed a role as a renegade cheerleader in "Bring It On 2."

Larioza honed his dancing skills as a member of the '90s boy band New Generation and later as a back-up dancer on Madonna's Drowned World Tour.

"My dance background is important for what I do now, because as a dancer you have a knowledge of choreography and you know how to pick it up. You're not afraid to perform. The advantage with film is that you have multiple takes to perfect what you're doing."

But dancing is just part of Larioza's repertoire. An experienced practitioner of kung fu and capoeira, the Brazilian martial art, Larioza got his break in film by performing in and helping to choreograph the famous jungle fight scene in the Rock vehicle "The Rundown." That led to stunt and movement-choreography work on several other high-profile films — including "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Catwoman" — as well as lucrative motion-capture work on video games.

"When I'm auditioning, I try to be creative and play with (the role)," Larioza says. "I research things that might be similar. I work on moves and alternatives to those moves. I'm not afraid to make a fool out of myself at the gym late at night practicing. If you practice your craft, it only prepares you to be better when you show up for work.

"They'll want you if you can show them different things and take it a notch higher than they expect," he says.

A natural mimic, Larioza said he tries to customize his movements to the unique demands of each role, all the while staying within his range of strengths.

In "Catwoman," Larioza combined feline movements with capoeira to create a unique movement set for Halle Berry's title character. For the Cameron project, he combines the movements of a wolf and a snake to give his character a never-before-seen physicality.

"It's hard on the body," he said. "But it's pretty dope."

The fluid, spinning movements of capoeira require a high level of strength and flexibility, which Larioza helps to maintain with Bikram Yoga (which is performed in 100-plus-degree temperatures). For cardiovascular fitness, he relies on "a lot of kung fu."

To speed his recovery from his workouts, Larioza gets regular massages.

"My body is my money," he says. "So I have to do whatever I can to stay healthy and injury free."

IN THE WORKS

"Transformers"

What: Big-budget send-up of the popular 1980s anime series.

Who's involved: Michael Bay (director); Kenny Bates (stunt coordinator); Garrett Warren (fight coordinator); and actors Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Rachael Taylor, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, Anthony Anderson, John Turturro, Bernie Mac and others.

Larioza's take: "We're doing some reshoots to add more fight scenes. We're doing motion-capture, so we look at the (pre-visualization) to get a rough idea of what they're looking for and we try to bring it to life. Each Transformer has a different personality and a different type of movement. I grew up loving the cartoon. When you grow up loving it and watching it, it's an honor to be able to work on it."

Status: Post-production

"Avatar" ("Project 880")

What: James Cameron's long-idling sci-fi project sets an intergalactic love affair against the backdrop of a struggle between opportunistic humans and exploited aliens. The film will feature a new digital 3-D "fusion camera" and a virtual production studio.

Who's involved: James Cameron (producer, director, screenwriter)

Larioza's take: "James Cameron is big time; he ain't no joke. But he's nice and he's cool — very cool. The interesting thing about him is that when he does a movie, he likes to do something different, and it's always big budget. He wants a good story, good characters and good actors. I can't say anything about the story except that it's really unique and really different. It's a little similar to 'The Polar Express' or 'Monster House,' that kind of feel. It's definitely not your normal movie."

Status: Pre-production

Untitled martial arts film

What: No details yet, but Larioza said audiences can expect a mix of martial arts, dance and comedy.

Who's involved: Stephen Chow (producer, screenwriter) and Stephen Fung (director).

Larioza's take: "This will break a lot of barriers. I've always wanted to do martial arts and dance, and (Chow, who wrote, directed and starred in "Kung Fu Hustle" and Fung) are willing to take it to another level with comedy. It will be different. They're from a different country, but they're big time and it will be a great honor to work with the Chinese, and especially Chinese stunt men. I want to see their work ethic and how they approach things. I'm hoping the fight choreographer is Wo Ping (that's Wo Ping Yuen, famed for his work on "The Matrix"). It would be an honor to work with him. I have a lot of great ideas to mix martial arts with break dancing, popping, krumping. I just have to just make sure I'm on the same page."

"Yogaloha"

What: a fitness DVD, mixing Hatha Yoga and hula.

Status: It's scheduled for release this summer.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.