X-Men: Apocalypse

[GeneChing]

This probably deserves its own thread. We do have an indie thread for X-Men-Days-of-Future-Past. Perhaps there are more. 'X-Men' is an unsearchable term on this forum.

[GeneChing]

I just poached the post above off the X-men thread. Design Sifu has me convinced it's all going to be about Psylocke's sword fu. Ms. Munn has already been mentioned for this on our Celebrities-studying-martial-arts thread, and of course, our Sword-hotties thread.

How Olivia Munn mastered swordplay for 'X-Men: Apocalypse'
WUSA 6:45 AM. EST February 24, 2016



Olivia Munn is joining the X-Men universe as a sword-wielding, martial arts mastering, telepathic mutant, Psylocke, in X-Men: Apocalypse. It involves doing things like, say, slicing through a car.

So how does one get that good with a sword? It turns out, the hard way.

We caught up with Munn at the Vanity Fair-Fiat Young Hollywood Party Tuesday night in Los Angeles and she explained that good, old fashioned hard work is the way to become a superhero.

"I started training, doing 6/7 hours a day of sword and tae kwon do, never picked up a sword before. But it’s really important to me that Psylocke was as believable as possible and that meant to me that I had to really know what I was doing and be strong. And since this is the introduction to the character in the X-Men world, the fight scene, for me, was the monologue. It meant everything to me to be able to do it."
And do it she can.

Her beau, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, was on board for the transformation.

"He’s very proud of me, to see the dedication that I put into it. ... It’s everyday he does something that’s surprising and sweet and romantic."
Good work, Olivia. Maybe Ryan Reynolds should have trained with her?

Poor Deadpool.

[GeneChing]

And this in the wake of stunt people campaigning heavily to get an Oscar category...

Olivia Munn Takes Credit for Xmen Stunts
Kimi March 07, 2016 Fangirl, Film & TV
Recent articles on comicbook.com, cinimablend.com, and etonline.com have given Olivia Munn credit for doing all her own stunts on the upcoming movie, Xmen: Apocalypse. They quote her as saying:

“Psylocke is such a powerful, lethal character,” said Munn. “It was important to me that I was able to do all of the stunts because the more believable it is, the better it is for the audience — and the only way to make it believable is for me to actually do it.”

The etonline.com article goes on to say that, “You might expect the badass move to require a stunt double, but Munn made sure to take on the task herself.”

Unfortunately, Olivia Munn lied.

Julia Rekaikyna, a stunt woman and actress, was Ms. Munn’s stunt double for the movie. The proof?


Image found on IMDB

Yep. That’s Ms. Rekaikyna standing right next to Olivia Munn on the set of Xmen: Apocalypse. Her IMDB page lists her as Munn’s stunt double for the movie. Maybe the Psylocke that we see on screen isn’t really Olivia “from beginning to end” as these articles quote Munn as saying?

You can watch Julia Rekaikyna’s stunt reel below. It’s impressive, and the stunt 26 seconds in looks REALLY familiar…



This incident has the stunt community privately fuming, although it is nothing new in their line of work. Stunt workers are one of the most overlooked communities in the television and movie industries. It’s not surprising that the audience doesn’t know the stunt performers by name, because if they do their jobs well they are indistinguishable from the stars they are keeping safe. However, it is completely inappropriate for an actor or actress to openly take credit for the work of a fellow professional.

olivia6Olivia Munn has made a big deal about how hard she has trained for this movie, but a few months of work cannot replace the years that it takes to master stunt skills on a professional level. Ms. Munn probably did SOME of her own stunts for this movie. She probably did some sword twirls, wire work, and some rolling around on foam mats. What she didn’t do was test all the stunts over and over again to make sure they were safe. She didn’t practice group fight sequences for hours until a star with limited training could step in and look good on camera. Every wire she dangled from was pretested by stunt people to make sure it was safe for her. With a few insensitive, attention-seeking comments, Olivia Munn has taken credit for the work of a whole team of professional stunt workers, including the work of Ms. Rekaikyna.

This comes at an especially sensitive time for the movie industry and stunt workers alike. The Academy Awards has been under scrutiny because they still have no category for stunt work, despite decades of people asking for one. It seems especially unfair when you consider that this year’s action-heavy Mad Max: Fury Road was nominated for 10 Oscars and won 6, which is more than any other film of the evening. Many would argue that Fury Road’s success was heavily dependent on the stunt teams that blew audiences away with incredible action sequences, and yet those stunt people are being ignored by the Academy. Even recent protests and petitions have fallen on deaf ears.

There are lots of invisible hands that help create movies. We almost never hear the names of the stunt teams, makeup artists, painters, set dressers, grips, stitchers, editors, camera operators, and the others who make the magic happen. Their one moment in the spotlight is when their names appear in the credits after the movie, and most of us get up and leave before those even start rolling. Stunt people put their lives on the line to keep us entertained, and even in today’s high tech world, horrible accidents happen. These professionals know the risks and accept them willingly, but they should be recognized by the Academy and they should DEFINITELY be given credit by the professional actors that they keep safe, including Olivia Munn.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Not cool.
It's bad enough how much these actors get paid and now, juts because they do one of two stunts themselves that somehow equals " I do my own stunts".

[Jimbo]

Actors and actresses who take credit for stunt work that they were actually doubled for are, IMO, attempting to nut-ride on '90s and earlier-era Jackie Chan, completely ignorant about all the bitter that every stuntman and stuntwoman (Jackie definitely included) has eaten to get where they are. It's not only disrespectful; it's pathetic, and says a lot about the actress or actor involved.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Actors and actresses who take credit for stunt work that they were actually doubled for are, IMO, attempting to nut-ride on '90s and earlier-era Jackie Chan, completely ignorant about all the bitter that every stuntman and stuntwoman (Jackie definitely included) has eaten to get where they are. It's not only disrespectful; it's pathetic, and says a lot about the actress or actor involved.

Correctamundo !

[GeneChing]

...such a CGI orgy. I'm still all about the sword hottie. And J-Law. Luv J-Law.

[GeneChing]

[sanjuro_ronin]

Classic.