Angela Meryl: Stuntwoman to the Stars

Listen to this article

By Jailene Adorno

What does it take to be a stuntwoman on the set of a movie?

According to Angela Meryl, Hollywood stuntwoman, it takes a lot of patience and energy. With over twenty years of experience, Meryl has doubled for actresses such as Halle Berry, Vanessa Williams, Sanaa Lathan, Angela Bassett, Gabrielle Union, Vivica A. Fox, Beyoncé, and many others.

But Meryl didn’t set out to be a stuntwoman, she started out as a model. One day, a friend reached out to her about a role in the film First Kid with Sinbad that required a stunt. Little did she know, that role would open her eyes to the stint of a lifetime—Hollywood’s most popular stuntwoman.

“It lit a fire under me,” says Meryl. “You’re telling me I can go to work to play? And get paid for doing what I used to do as a kid?”

What she loved about the opportunity to start doing stunts was that it kept her active. Training is a huge component of performing stunts and because of that, Meryl has developed special skills—everything from scuba diving and high falls to stunt-driving and martial arts.  

“You’re always being challenged,” says Meryl. “There’s no such thing as an easy stunt.”

One stunt that really shook things up for Meryl was getting hit by a car while filming the movie When the Bough Breaks with Morris Chestnut.

“I didn’t really want to do it,” she says. “Prior to doing the stunt, I prayed. I visualized the stunt—going through the stunt and going home in one piece.”

While on set, a lot of time can be spent waiting to perform a stunt. Even if a stunt-performer is ready with padding, hair, and makeup, it can take anywhere up to ten hours before the action really starts. And even then, some stunts can be captured in one shot and others may take up to six or seven. Sometimes the actors decide to perform the stunts on their own.

“Women have struggled for many years to get our share of work in a male-dominated industry,” says Meryl. “We have proven that we are more than capable of getting the job done, so we want more opportunities to do the jobs that men are usually doing and also get recognized for our accomplishment.”

Meryl’s extensive career as a stuntwoman inspired her to write a book, Stunts: The How to Handbook: Secrets From an Award Winning Hollywood Stuntwoman. Here, she discusses how to get into the business—the etiquette, the marketing, and even how to connect with stunt coordinators.

Don’t miss out on the action—Angela Meryl’s upcoming projects include stunt performances for Penny Johnson Jerald in the upcoming series The Orville, Alexandra Shipp in the film Spinning Man, and Adina Porter in Ray Donovan.

For more information on Angela Meryl, click here.