Angela Meryl gets beat up and thrown around for a living, and has some ideas for women who might face more prosaic dangers in their day-to-day lives.
“I tell my child, ‘If you’re ever out by yourself and someone tries to grab you, yell FIRE!’” the acclaimed stuntwoman said during an interview while she was in Atlanta working on “Fast & Furious 7.” “Kick him in his privates, his shin, and run.”
Atlanta police are investigating after a woman was beaten and her car stolen last week in the parking deck of a northeast Atlanta Target store. It was the second violent robbery in nine days at the popular Edgewood Retail District on Caroline Street at Moreland Avenue.
But because crime can happen anywhere, Meryl said people should be vigilant at all times. Her top tip for staying safe: put your phone away and pay attention.
“We are just not aware anymore because everyone’s always on their phone,” she said. Women especially can imperil themselves by occupying themselves on their hand-held screens while they’re walking through parking lots or down the street. You never know where a predator might be in search of a distracted victim, she said.
A veteran talent with a hefty list of credits, Meryl trains continuously to keep in top shape. She has doubled for actresses including Beyonce, Halle Berry, Rihanna and Vanessa L. Williams. One of her most memorable double duties had her crashing through a glass table in "Kill Bill," during which she did stunt work for Vivica A. Fox.
“I was a very active child, jumping off cars,” she said. “I always played football, basketball, ran track. I didn’t realize I was laying the groundwork.”
The New Jersey native began her career in 1995 when a friend was working on "First Kid" with comic actor Sinbad and asked if Meryl was interested. She had initially been interested in an acting gig until she learned she could make $1,800 doing stunt work versus $99 a day as an extra.
“I said where do I sign up?” said Meryl.
Her role in “Fast & Furious 7” involved driving rather than fisticuffs, which she was a little down about.
“Is there something wrong with me that I like to fight?” she mused. “I loved the ‘Kill Bill’ fight. As a kid, it was always, ‘Don’t break that, don’t run in the house.’ Now, as an adult, I run through the house and break stuff.”
Author of “Stunts: The How-To Handbook,” which is part guidebook, part autobiography, Meryl wants to do more acting and more stunt work as well as public speaking about safety.
“I want to empower women,” she said. As you might guess, she feels pretty safe most of the time.
“Before I was a stuntwoman, I was at this club and there was this guy who came over, put his arm around me. I could tell he was trying to feel me up,” she said. “I flipped him and had him in a wrist lock and held him until he begged to be set free.”
