Fayetteville, GA. Trilith Studios.

We had spent months rehearsing fights, perfecting wirework, and learning about the Marvel universe—which, to be honest, I knew almost nothing about at the time. Drax? Who’s that? Thanos? Why is he so tall?

I was the stunt double for the “blue character”—you know, the one nobody ever remembers the name of. I was the Nebula stunt double. This was my first time in my stunt career where I got to play a superhero. I couldn’t have been more excited to be part of this project. It felt surreal, like I had hit the ultimate jackpot.

Turning Blue

Before Nebula made her camera debut, I was the test dummy to make sure the lighting and camera loved the blue, too. A much easier day of playing test dummy than the previous months testing out new wire rigs.

My transformation started with a 3.5-hour session in the makeup chair. Since it would be easier to glue the prosthetics directly onto my head rather than plastering down a full head of hair under a bald cap, I got an epic new haircut: shaved sides and a magenta mohawk. Dream achieved! I’ve always wanted something with “cool mom vibes” but I was too scared to make the cut.

3.5 hours later, I was fully blue and ready for the camera test. At the time, they were in the middle of shooting a scene with Iron Man, Drax, Mantis, Spider-man and Star-Lord. The actors were sitting around while the directors discussed the set-up.

As I arrived, the First AD pulled me aside and whispered:

“Go improvise in the scene with them—let’s see how long it takes the directors to notice that Nebula isn’t even supposed to be in this scene.”

My insides screamed. But on the outside of course I was cool, calm, and collected. I was tempted to walk over like Danny in Grease. But that idea quickly left my thoughts.

(The actual moment I arrived. As I walked over, this was my view.)

Alright. Time to casually stroll over—fully blue—stand with Robert Downey Jr., Dave Bautista, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland and the rest of the crew, and pretend like I belonged. Let’s do this.

Blending In with the Avengers (Sort Of)

This was my first time meeting the actors, but instead of introductions, I just plopped down on a rock next to them like it was completely normal.

Drax (aka Dave Bautista) sat next to me. He looked at me. Then looked again. Finally, he said:

“You aren’t Karen.”

Busted.

“I’m her stunt double, Shauna.” I laughed.

That broke the ice. He introduced himself, and from that moment on, I knew this cast was something special—so warm and welcoming.

Then Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Pratt waved me over to their little huddle, where they properly introduced themselves (as if I didn’t know who they were). At that point, the AD stepped in and let them in on our little prank.

They laughed and decided to roll with it. They were all about having fun, too.

Take One: Just Keep Nodding

They started the scene as usual, delivering their lines. Then, Robert Downey Jr., master improviser, turned to me and offered me a moment to speak—like Nebula was just there, part of the gang, or “the scene.”

Cue internal panic.

These actors were so good at improv, and I? Well… let’s just say my specialty is hitting the ground, not delivering Oscar-worthy dialogue.

I froze. The best I could manage was an enthusiastic nod while staring directly into Robert Downey Jr’s eyes as he was standing to my right, and a casual:

“Yeah, that’s a great idea.”

(Nailed it.)

The scene ended. The directors still didn’t notice Nebula’s unexpected cameo. They called cut and reset for another take, completely oblivious.

Take Two: The Prank Backfires

We went again.

Same scene. Same improv. This time, they tried harder to get me to talk. But my brain was still buffering.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea,” I repeated, nodding like a bobblehead.

At this point, the scene kept going…and going…until we all ran out of things to talk about. What felt like 10 minutes later, Chris Pratt had an epiphany and said:

Wait a minute… the joke is on US. They were just gonna let us keep talking! That’s a good one.

The directors had caught on. Instead of calling cut, they let us dig our own hole, watching us scramble to keep the scene alive.

Chris cracked up. “Well played, guys. Well played.”

The whole crew erupted in laughter. And just like that, I was officially welcomed into the madness of Avengers: Infinity War.

Flying High

Walking back to the makeup trailer, still very much blue, I had this moment of reflection:

“Shauna, if we create our own reality and experiences… past-you must have had a blast dreaming to create this one up.”

Because what even was my life? I was getting paid to play Superhero dress-up with some of the best actors in Hollywood.

The Takeaway

What did I learn from this experience?

Always. Have. Fun.

This was a $400 million movie. High stakes. Intense pressure. And yet, the cast and crew still made time to laugh, play, and keep things light the entire three years shooting Infinity War and End Game.

And that? That’s the secret sauce.

No matter how serious the job, find the balance between discipline and play. Because the best experiences, the epic experiences, happen when we remember to have fun even in the little moments.

If you are reading this, this is your reminder to add more play into your life. Life isn’t long enough to take it seriously every single day or in every situation. I invite you to let your inner child come out and play and allow yourself to be goofy every now again. I dare you.