Stunt doubles do some of the bravest work in Hollywood. Unfortunately, much of their work gets overlooked.
However, one stunt woman wants to change that.
Michelle C. Smith is a Hollywood stunt woman whose work you saw (whether you knew or not) in the smash hit "Deadpool," where she played Gina Carano's double. She's also an acrobat and educator.
She recently posted a video of herself on Facebook doing some amazing moves:
By the way, I want to be Catwoman. Scratch that, I am Catwoman! #michelleforcatwoman #ninja #sticks #warrior #catwoman #flowartsfriday #flowartsmovement #flowarts #batontwirling #martialarts #martialartsgirls #flowstagram #staffmanipulation Filmed at Ancient Fire, Vancouver, BC. Insta:@michelle.c.smith
Posted by Michelle C. Smith - Official on Friday, May 20, 2016
The video, posted on May 20, got a whopping 1.4 million views.
"By the way, I want to be Catwoman. Scratch that, I am Catwoman!" she wrote.
While there are plans for an upcoming "Batman" movie as well as a two-part "Justice League" feature, there are no plans for Catwoman to be involved in any of those as of yet. To date, we've only seen the character onscreen twice: in 2004's disastrous "Catwoman" and in "The Dark Knight Rises."
While we may never see Ms. Smith as the star of a superhero movie, her video and statement bring up an important point: pay more attention to stunt doubles. They do some crazy work that too frequently gets overlooked, especially considering how risky it is.
In fact, they've been campaigning for an Oscar category of their own for years.
So next time you're watching a movie, make sure to sit through the end credits and applaud whoever did the stunts.