Stuntwoman Now Wants to Become a Writer
At one time in my life I wanted to be a film actor. I had been a stage actor and was just getting into improv in Chicago, but film work fascinated me. My then mother-in-law asked one day, 'If you won the lottery and didn't have to work, what would you do?' I replied that I would probably get headshots done and start auditioning for film roles and commercials. She said, 'Why aren't you doing that now?' I had no good answer.
I began with a crazy headshot my husband took of me (with my cat!) and submitted it to an agency that specialized in casting background extras on movies and television. I got a call and did my first job on a television program that was being filmed on location in Chicago. I watched the crew intently during my 12-hour stint and saw what each person did on the set.
A week or so later I got another call from the agency asking me if I'd like to work as a stand-in on a film. I told the woman yes, and I knew what to do because I'd seen the stand-in on my first job. She was so professional--right there next to the camera all the time, ready to step in to be the point of focus and lighting for the crew on each new shot. The woman on the phone especially appreciated my praise--she had been that stand-in! I began getting more extra work and stand-in work.
One day on a movie set, I saw two unfamiliar guys overseeing a school fight scene. They were stuntmen. I'd always been physically active, and asked the coordinator if a person like me could be considered for this type of work. (I am just under 5 feet tall.) He said I might be able to double for kids (I was, after all, a stand-in for a kid actor) and asked if I was flexible. I figured I'd impress him with my unusual limberness and dropped into the splits right in front of him. He smiled slightly and said, 'I meant...do you work during the day?'
After my face turned back to its normal color, I learned stunt people are SAG actors, too. I figured if I got in the union I'd have a better chance at getting other on-camera jobs, and even if I didn't, stunt work looked like more fun! These guys were great! They earned good money, but were humble and didn't have the crush of celebrity. I went home and excitedly told my husband, 'I want to be a stunt person!'
Here was this tiny woman (no spring chicken for this profession at nearly 30 years old) living not in Hollywood or New York, but in the suburbs of Chicago, saying she was going to be a movie stunt person. To say he was not encouraging is an understatement; he thought I was nuts. But from then on, every time I got work on a set and saw that stunt coordinator, I'd go up and greet him. (Of course he'd remembered me after that uncommon introduction!) Eventually, he called me to do stunt work, and for ten years I was part of a somewhat elite corps of stunt people in the midwest working on television shows, movies, and commercials shot in Chicago. I worked on location in upper New York, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina. I also got on-camera acting parts in Illinois and Wisconsin, too.
I have been out of the film business for six years now, but am now turning back to a pursuit I had as a child--writing. I need a new Dream Infusion to help conquer the roadblocks I have throwin in my way during my years of stagnation in regular 9-5 day jobs that paid the rent, but not the spirit. (Writing is a lot scarier than stunt work, let me tell you!) Now that I've reidentified my new dream, I'm ready to face the new challenges that come with it.
By: Nina Leone