During the reshoots for Thor: Ragnarok, I was doubling Cate Blanchett as Hela. That meant some cool stunts in her full villain glory—and occasionally standing in for dialogue scenes, which is my very favorite thing. (Not.) One particular day, there were no stunts, just me filling in for Cate to perform a scene with Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki).
The day started in the makeup trailer. It was just me, Tom, and our makeup artists. Tom introduced himself, and we chatted a bit, mostly small talk. As he left the trailer, he turned to me and said, “Good luck on the ice!” I had no idea what he meant, but it sounded British and classy, so I just smiled.
I arrive on set to go over my lines as I sit under a tent in cast chair to try and stay cool, clutching my sides (that’s industry-speak for “script pages”) and trying to memorize my lines. Now, most people would die for the chance to act opposite Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. But not me. I’d rather fight them than talk.
See, as a stuntwoman, I’ve taken my fair share of acting classes. You kind of have to— it’s part of what makes a great stunt performer. But acting in front of a green screen while getting blasted across the room is very different from standing still and delivering actual lines to Thor and Loki.
The vibe on set, however, was amazing. Taika Waititi, the director, was a total legend.
His energy was infectious, and he kept the mood light with jokes and shenanigans. But let’s be real, none of that stopped me from anxiously running my lines under the tent near video village (the area where the director and producers watch everything on monitors).
As I sat there, head buried in my sides, I suddenly heard a soft, sweet voice behind me: “Have fun today, Shauna! You’re going to do great!”
I turned around to see the kindest eyes and warmest smile I’d ever encountered.
Standing there was this adorable older man who looked like someone’s grandpa. My immediate thought was, Aww, whose grandpa is wandering around set? And how does he know my name? That’s so sweet!
I smiled and replied, “Thank you!” He smiled back, then walked away, leaving me thinking, What a nice old man.
Later, I wandered over to video village to watch what they were shooting. I glanced at the monitor and saw grandpa sitting on a rock next to Thor. That’s when it hit me. That sweet man was freaking Anthony Hopkins! Odin himself had just wished me good luck and told me I’d do great.
Now, in my then 12 years as a stuntwoman, not one actor took the time to learn the name of some stunt double sweating it out in a Hela costume. Anthony Hopkins not only knew my name, but he went out of his way to give me a little pep talk. I didn’t even care if I bombed the scene after that—Sir Anthony Hopkins thought I could do it. That’s enough for me.
When it was finally time to shoot, I spent the next several hours baking under the Georgia sun in a supervillain costume, sharing the screen with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Chris decided to go completely “off book” for most of the scene. His improv skills were insane. Mine? Not so much. But I hung in there, desperately trying to keep up while pretending the heat wasn’t slowly killing me.
At the end of the day, I survived, didn’t pass out, and somehow didn’t ruin the scene. It was a surreal, hilarious, and humbling experience I’ll never forget. And if I ever need to summon confidence again, I’ll just remember the day Anthony Hopkins told me, “You’re going to do great.”
