“Hopefully, people will see that we are not people to look over.”
Keisha Tucker is a member of one of Hollywood’s most superlative, small, but growing, community of performers — Black stuntwomen. Historically overlooked, discounted, and (painstakingly) undervalued, Black female stunt performers have spent decades fighting for the opportunities and...
Aditya Sarpotdar’s film about Reshma Pathan, the woman who performed Hema Malini’s stunts in Ramesh Sippy’s classic will be out on Zee5 on March 8, 2019. Pathan has also worked as a body double in the 1970s and ’80s, but like most stuntwoman in her profession, her contribution to the industry has remained behind the scenes.
The practice is called wigging: stuntmen don wigs and women’s clothing to resemble female actors while filming risky action scenes.
Camera angles, special effects and editing preserve the illusion that it is a pulchritudinous star leaping off a building or driving through a window rather than a man in drag.
Audiences...
It's hard to gauge the full effect that Wonder Woman's success will have on the film industry. Studios and producers will no doubt have noticed that investing in a female-driven summer tentpole payed off big and that the conventional Hollywood wisdom that says women can't carry a blockbuster just doesn't...
“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.
When Johansson gets punched in the face, Heidi Moneymaker takes the hit. When Elizabeth Olsen crashes through a window, it’s C.C. Ice who ends up with scratches. Hollywood’s most unsung behind-the-scenes heroes star in a Hollywood Reporter photo portfolio. Meet the Stuntwomen who help stars kickass.
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...
Becoming a stuntwoman is especially difficult in an industry where men often play female characters. But more performers are breaking through.
A woman is doubled over on a platform, clutching her stomach. She screams, then flops 4.5 metres (15ft) on to a giant airbag. To my left, a dozen people...
Extreme dangers of the job: With seasoned pros stretched thin, productions are hiring haphazardly and cutting corners as stunt performers go public with complaints that union regulations have “no teeth” and new oversight may not go nearly far enough, Scott Johnson reports in the Hollywood Reporter:
Changing dynamics from within: For...