Zoe Bell

Trivia

• Zoe Bell was the stunt double for Lucy Lawless on Xena: Warrior Princess and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill vol 1 and 2. She also did stunt work on the shows Jack of All Trades, Young Hercules, and the pilot episode Amazon High, which was later recycled for the Xena episode "Lifeblood".
• Zoe starred in the indie film documentary Double Dare, which showed the life of women stunt doubles. The film won the Audience Award at the AFI Film Fest.
• Zoe is 5'7", and often works as a stunt double for taller actresses. She has blond hair and blue eyes.
• Although she is a native of New Zealand and hopes to someday own a home there, Zoe currently resides in Los Angeles.
• Zoe was the stunt double for Sharon Stone in Catwoman. This was the first time she ever doubled for "the bad guy".
• Zoe was initially hired to be the "fall over" double only, (which is the stuntie that hits the ground and is thrown into things) for Uma Thurman in the movie Kill Bill vol 1, and she was given six weeks worth of training beforehand to fulfill that role. But when they actually started shooting the film they realized that Zoe would make a great body double for Uma, so they decided to train her in her additinal role as they went along on set. That meant she was never properly trained for her fight
• Zoe was injured at the end of filming Kill Bill vol 1. She broke her ribs when she missed the mat falling and required surgery. She also tore a ligament in her arm when a stunt called for her to be blown out of a trailer in a harness. Fortunately she actually landed on her stunt coordinator instead, who broke her fall enough to keep her from a major injury.
• To stay fit Zoe does dancing, running, swimming, yoga, and gymnastics. She has trouble staying motivated just working out at a gym, and she needs to feel as if she is learning or perfecting her skills to stay satisfied.
• In 2005, Zoe won two Taurus awards along with her fight partner Monika Staggs for "Best Fight" and "Best Overall Stunt by a Stuntwoman" for the movie Kill Bill: Vol 2. In 2004 she was nominated for the same two awards along with her fight partner Angela Meryl for the movie Kill Bill: Vol 1.
• Zoe admits to talking to herself. She gives herself pep talks, and sometimes does pretend interviews with herself. She pretends that she's being interviewed by Oprah and others like her, and when she does she even changes and uses all of the appropriate accents!

Quotes

• "Of course I feel fear. I think its more a matter of when you no longer feel fear it's time to hang it up. Feeling fear is a good sign that your survival instincts are intact. You need to appreciate the dangers to stay safe."
• "Stunt people can't read."
• "You know, actors always ask their directors what their motivation is in this scene or that scene, so I've always had this joke where I ask the director what my motivation is too. As a stunt person your motivation is usually to fall over a bench or something. But Quentin came over at one point and said 'So your motivation in this scene is...', and I just cracked up laughing. But he was being really serious: 'You're The Bride as well as Uma, you need to know what her motivation is.' It was the fi
• "There is no doubt that the world of stunts was in the past a predominantly male one. But there are times that I have to check my new age, women's rights crap and realize that some of these men are simply from a different time, a different way and actually mean well. Chivalry and sexism are two different things and if you are too defensive they are easily confused. I just expect the respect I deserve as a good, hard working stuntwoman, not a stunt man. I'm a not man."
• "I can't think of any thing really weird. I have been pregnant twice (not for real!). Looking coordinated and bad a** is much harder with a big pillow strapped to your gut."
• "Quentin kinda liked the fact that I fell on my arse and got up and did it again."
• "The most dangerous stunt? Hmm .. I guess, just recently I fell off a building."