Above: Headshot from IMDB
Update May 23rd 2016: Brand new Elektra official Stunt reel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wM0tRZw_4M
A full stunt breakdown, coupled with practices, spot hits and falls! It is epic!
Below: Lauren Mary Kim as Elektra behind the scenes. Photo Credit: Instagram from Lauren.
The
biggest thrill for me as a writer is to sit back and watch someone I
have known a long time and followed their career. As the time machine
blasts back to the (Winter) January 2005 Issue of Vengeance Magazine,
ironically, I wrote about Lauren, guess who was on the cover,
Jennifer Garner's Elektra! In my column I wrote about the young and
extremely talented Lauren Mary Kim with a photo of her with the rest of the cast of a film by Kantz. The time machine is now reset, 2016 is upon us, Lauren Mary Kim has arrived. My apologies to Lauren for the long wait for this interview.
Coming from a strong dance
background and exploding on the stunt scene more than a decade ago,
Lauren has positioned herself in the A list action category. With
over 100 IMDB credits, consistent learning and growing, and focusing
her efforts to make the projects she is a part of burn like a fire on a hot August Day. Watch for her doubling Ming-Na Wen on 'Agents of Shield' among other projects in 2016. Every so often a special opportunity comes
along, for an stunt person, to work with another actress like Elodie who can match
intensity and intellect with most anyone. Lauren and Elodie Yung make
the character of Elektra come alive with fervor and daring. Daredevil Season 2 on Netflix is
must binge watch TV. Without any more of my inane chattering, time to stick
the Sai in deep and feel the aggression and power of ½ of the Elektra Duo, Lauren
Mary Kim! 3-2-1 GO!! Oh yes, when Lauren speaks the text is blood red hahaha!
Above Photo: Lauren does a flip, and of course kicks ass (C) 2016 Netflix
I
saw in a few of Elodie's interviews there was not much time to train
prior to the action sequences in Daredevil Season 2. How long did you
train with the Sais and with Elodie prior to the start of production
or was it episode by episode?
Our
schedule was pretty hectic and we didn't have a lot of time to train
Elodie. While we were designing the fights and shooting 'previs'
(editor's note-pre-rendering,
preview or wire frame windows) is a function to visualize complex
scenes in a movie before filming) she
was often on set shooting her scenes without action, dialogue etc...
We basically were doing feature film fights in Television time
constraints. It was rough but we did it. It definitely was a team
effort. At the end I was able to have some one on one time with
Elodie to go over choreography and to get her familiar with the
sai's. Not nearly as much time as we wanted of course. But she is a
natural, and I am so fortunate to work with another martial artist.
She did an amazing job learning choreo on the fly and performing with
such great intensity.
Above Pic Lauren and Elodie as Elektra prepare to injure some unlucky thug.
I
am glad you mentioned her martial arts ability. Because Elodie is
well versed in karate and action films were you that much more
enthusiastic to expand your martial arts abilities, as the Elektra
character is versed in a wide variety of styles.
Yes,
she learns faster than most people, so I was excited to work with her
and the fight coordinator was able to throw some really intricate
moves for her character.
Trust me it was hard to tell who was doing the ass kicking! Shifting gears to the production side, I
read in a few interviews that the dialogue was shot in the beginning
of each week's episode then the stunts and action were shot last. How
many days per episode did the coordinators dedicate to the action, or
did it vary?
Every
week, every episode, was completely different. Some fights we would
have 1-2 days and other fights we had 3-5 days. So yeah it varied,
not to mention there are many fights in one episode with different
characters so the stunt coordinator, fight coordinator, and asst
coordinator definitely had their hands full everyday.
Above Pic: Season 2 Episode 10 of Daredevil. Lauren laying the kick to the face!
One of
my favorite fights is the airplane hanger fight, the wing slide, the
capoira, that looked hard, would love you to go in detail how that
fight was set up some of the training etc, looks like Elodie did work
very hard also.
The
fight coordinator would research cool moves and he saw that move from
a Muay Thai fighter. We tried variations of that trick, but it is a
very effective trick as we saw it during a sparring match. We also
did the slide across the airplane wing which I love. That particular
stunt is a tribute to the Black Widow move (Heidi Moneymaker). In
Daredevil (Season 2 Episode 10) the move backfired on Elektra and he
ultimately slammed her very hard on the wing. So we wanted to show
that us super heroes are not always perfect and things can go wrong
in fights, just as real life fights. I remember working on this move
and trying to figure out to properly do it the way we wanted to do
it....we were all pretty tired and loopy during rehearsal, I just
remember laughing constantly.....but we finally got it, and I love
how it looks on camera!
Above pic: Flip to kick from Lauren. (C) 2016 Netflix
I
loved the realism, characters on Daredevil take real damage, they
have weaknesses. Chat about how the action flows between Elodie and
yourself, watching season 2, obviously Elodie did a lot of the
action.
While
we shoot a previs we show what shots are actor shots and which shots
are stunts. The edit sometimes comes out different than what you
expect. Some sections of fights were all me and some sections were
all her and some sections were cut back and forth seamlessly between
the two of us. Together we make Elektra in the fight scenes, like a
marriage....lol!
Speaking of a perfect marriage, I
listened to an interview where you chatted about learning Elodie's
walk as part of your adaptation to Elektra, were you able to spend
some quiet time chatting with her about the character's movements and
actions?
Any
time i could get with her, we would share notes and chat about the
character. She told me often she did not want Elektra to make noise
when she fought which was very difficult for me since I like to
vocalize while I fight. Which later I realized they added someone
else voice in post, for her fight beats. She also didn't want Elektra
in fighting stances (i.e. poses) after fights as she is a cool, no
nonsense kind of woman and very dismissive to her opponents. I liked
that part about her character....
Many
times you see these women on films always striking a martial art
poses after and sometimes its not always a right character choice for
your character. Elektra doesn't give a fuck and she doesn't have to
prove she is a fighter, she is a killer....i like Elodie's take on
Elektra a lot. It was a lot of fun.
Above Pic: Lauren as a bridge officer on the Kelvin (C) Paramount Pictures
I
think you and Elodie looked like real killers in the series, shifting
gears before I get my ass kicked, chat about who are some of the
stars and directors you want to work with you have not, or someone
you have worked with that would jump at a second opportunity.
I
would love to work with JJ Abrams again. He was a pleasure to work
with on Star Trek. Always wanted to work with Ryan Reynolds. The list
is pretty endless. I love working on marvel shows and would like to
work more features with them. Their content is so good, forever a
fan.
I loved the first two Star Treks, great action and story. I am looking
forward to more on screen work from you. I am sure your dreams will be
realized. I notice you are always training, working hard, what is
your secret to getting consistent stunt and acting work in
Hollywood?
No
idea..... basically, stay humble, professional and be yourself! Be
true to who you are, always train and hustle!
Above Pic: (C) Jason Ng 2016 = Daredevil stunt crew dinner. Check out Lauren and Elodie Yung in the middle!
In 10
years 20 years, what is Lauren doing in the Hollywood life,
producing, acting, stunts, retired, teaching?
Hopefully
have a baby, producing projects that elevate human consciousness. Of
course, still training in martial arts.
Thank you so much Lauren for taking time out of your hectic filming schedule to conduct this interview. Watch this space later in the year for the second part of my chat with Lauren! Keep your browsers locked into Dan's Movie Report for all of your exclusive film and TV news, interviews, and photos.
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