The epic brawl that brought back Cameron Diaz
Punching, horse poo and more surprises from Zoë Bell’s ‘Boss Bitch Fight Challenge’ video
STUCK IN LOCKDOWN in Colorado, renowned stuntwoman Zoë Bell (a muse of Quentin Tarantino who played herself in Death Proof) saw a video of French stunt artists staging a mass fight scene from the safety of their own homes, the clips put into one cohesive whole, with each edit on the ‘punch’. “I loved this video,” Bell explains. “But I realised the percentage of women in it was very low. I was not represented in there, nor were people like me.” Together with other stuntwomen, Bell set about contacting a group of actors to make an all-female version. The response, she says, was overwhelming. “Women all around the world quickly got involved: it was a total joy.”
In the ‘Boss Bitch Fight Challenge’ video, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie and Florence Pugh — to name but three of the 38 performers featured — can be seen variously drop-kicking, headbutting and punching each other remotely. All the moves were edited into one seamless whole by Bell’s partner, Jacob Horn. Remarkably, Cameron Diaz also appears, in her first role since retiring from acting (she was last seen in 2014’s Annie). “I got a text from Cameron’s stuntwoman saying she was on board,” Bell reveals. “I didn’t really think of the weight of what that was for her, but what a cool way to come back out!”
For each performer, Bell made tutorial videos, focusing on the starts and ends of the clips to ensure smooth transitions. One involved a jigsaw set; another was more scatological. “Monique [Ganderton, a stuntwoman] throws the horse poo, and for the corresponding clip, we needed someone to have dirt literally thrown in their face for it to work. When someone like Halle Berry goes, ‘Yeah, I’ll take the horse poo,’ you’re like, ‘These women are amazing!’”
The stuff in-between transitions was largely left to the actors themselves. What Bell saw left her speechless. “Daryl Hannah sent us the first clip with her mask on, and I couldn’t believe she did the whole Kill Bill thing. Margot Robbie happened to have her Harley Quinn bat and I was like, ‘Yes! Bring the bat!’” Rosario Dawson even recreated her famous Death Proof kick.
“If everyone notices where it came from, then great, but if they don’t, it’s also cool because it’s still a dope kick,” Bell laughs.
The video went viral, with nearly three million views on Youtube and Instagram. “My favourite feedback is how good it’s making people feel at this time,” Bell says. She’s planning to release another soon.
Bell says the experience has also brought the acting and stunt communities closer together, and she hopes it will help the campaign for a stunt category at the Oscars. “When you look at the nominees last year, so many were reliant on action. Let’s start that groundswell!” Kicking ass and changing the world — a true Boss Bitch.