Remember the famous scene in Sholay where Hema Malini shouts “Chal Dhanno!” as she is chased by Gabbar Singh’s men? While the audience rooted for the actor, the real hero of that iconic action sequence was stuntwoman Reshma Pathan who rode the speeding cart. She has spent 3 decades as body double to Bollywood’s leading ladies.
In 1985, I made a transition from martial arts and kickboxing to a full time career as a stuntwoman. In 1982, I had moved from Pensacola, Florida to Los Angeles, California for several reasons. One, my sanctioning body, the WKA (World Karate Association) based out of Westminster, CA was working hard to promote me as a fighter.
For Hollywood stuntwoman Janene Carleton, a typical day at the office might involve jumping off a building, or from a moving vehicle, or perhaps both of these things at the same time, while her entire body is engulfed in flames. After nearly 15 years in the business, Carleton has...
Stuntwoman Ming Qiu has an impressive lineup of films including Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill, and Ultraviolet. Inside Kung Fu magazine saluted her as their 2006 Woman of the Year. In a recent interview, the veteran wushu champion quickly brushed aside any suggestions of celebrity. “I’m a very low key person,” she insisted.
In her audition for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2104) stunt actress Janene Carleton had to prove that she could ride a horse — something she'd been doing competitively since childhood — but in an "ape-like" position. "You just have to hunch your shoulders and squat down a little...
“Wigging” is a film industry term that describes the practice of male stunt performers standing in for women on gags. “Painting down” is its cousin, in which White stunt performers stand in for actors of color. Veteran stunt performer Deven MacNair has made it her mission to speak out against these practices and demand change.
Lead stunt double for Gal Gadot in the film Wonder Woman, Caitlin Dechelle was responsible for the kickass stunts and fighting scenes that brought the film to life. A martial artist from the age of six, she has 95 world titles. To find out more, I put 20 questions to Caitlin about martial arts, stunts and working on Wonder Woman.
Annabel Wood has performed stunts in some of Hollywood's biggest hits including Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), Wonder Woman, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and The Mummy, and TV work is no less impressive with her 3 year stint on Game of Thrones.
You may not know their names or even their faces, but if you watch TV, go to the movies, or play video games, you know their work. Female Stuntwomen have been making on-screen magic happen for decades, masterminding and performing the car chases, bare-knuckle brawls, and wirework that take...
If you'd worked as body doubles for the likes of Charlize Theron, Cara Delevingne and X-Men's Rebecca Romijn like world-famous Canadian trainer Monique Ganderton has, it's safe to say you'd know a thing or two about what it takes to make an actress look like a highly trained killer, fighter...