I've always loved the collaborative side of filmmaking, and there's a lot of things I can do in the acting side of things in terms of the creating of action sequences, and coming up with ways of doing things with a stunt coordinator.
I don't have children, but when I meet my friends' kids at six months old, and then I don't see them again for another six months, the changes are drastic. But if you've seen them every day, the changes are less shocking.
When I was injured after 'Kill Bill' I had a year where I not just couldn't make any money but I couldn't swim, I couldn't surf, I could hardly run, which is insane. I couldn't do gymnastics, martial arts, I could barely crawl on all fours. That was devastating to me.
I keep myself safe both physically and emotionally in my working environment by 'being one of the boys.' In my head, subconsciously, that was my safe place.
In our case, with 'Raze,' we had a really, really tight schedule. We shot something like 17 fights in three and a half weeks which is insane.
As a stuntwoman, I never wanted anyone to ever feel afraid for me. I didn't want anyone to ever feel sorry for me.
It never occurred to me that being a stunt girl would get me recognized in any way, because the whole purpose of a stunt person is to not be known.
I've worked with horses on and off most of my life, but literally 'on and off' - flipping on them and falling off them.
Usually, what happens with women that aren't comfortable with fighting is they're afraid of getting hurt, or hurting someone. All it usually takes to get them going is to make them feel safe, and make them feel like they look cool while doing it. And once they get a little more comfortable, they're gung ho!
When I'm not focused, I'm quite possibly one of the more clumsy people on the planet. I'll walk into doorways and coffee tables.
When I was on 'Xena,' I remember the sound guy and the director at some point being like, you have to make sounds when you fight, and I was like, what are you talking about? You're never going to use it. But they hounded me for a good couple of hours, and basically it was, you need to act, you can't just perform the moves.
If it wasn't for 'Kill Bill' I probably would have been back in New Zealand three months after I left, and if it wasn't for 'Death Proof' I don't think I would be pursuing an acting career right now.
Work wise, as a stunt woman, I enjoy telly - or TV - because - and, as an actor - I kind of enjoy the urgency of it. I enjoy the problem-solving that's happening. Right now, we don't have time to rehearse for hours. And, if something goes wrong, we don't have time to shoot something else for four days until we sort it out.
There is an art to acting, and there are techniques that are acquired. You can be as emotional as you'd like, as a person, but figuring out ways that you can bring specific emotions at specific times and have them be true, and relating to someone as someone that they're not, is a lot.
I think I'm one of those actors who has come around the backside of something, you know? I came in the backdoor without even realizing that that's what I was doing.
I have come a long way from a girl with pigtails and acne showing up and going, 'Hey guys, I'm here! Where do you want me to fall over?'
For a stunt woman, emotions don't matter to the shot. It was easier for me to do my job if I shut all my emotions off.
Life's too short to be super conservative but it's also too short to make it any shorter. I don't plan on dying early, but at the same time I don't plan on playing it so safe that I'll live to ninety.
If you're going to fight Tom Cruise, you really don't want to make that man bleed.
