Exclusive: Jénel Stevens on being the Fight Choreographer & Viola Davis’ Stunt Double for The Woman King
Currently playing in theaters nationwide from Sony Pictures is Gina Prince-Bythewood's directed historical African epic The Woman King.
Starring Oscar winner Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren, Sheila Atim, Jayme Lawson, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Masali Baduza, the pic is based on true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for….
For all the action sequences in the film that the women and men go through while training to become warriors and fighting or battle, part of the credit for their strength and conditioning goes to veteran stuntwoman Jénel Stevens.
She not only was a stunt double for Viola Davis, the New York based fitness coach and personal trainer also choreographed various fight sequences and trained actors in martial arts and weapon wielding. It’s one of the rarest times she’s had multiple duties on a film. At the World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, director Gina Prince-Bythewood credited Stevens for her work in getting the women in shape.
Jénel’s thorough background in martial arts has paved the way for her as a stunt double and choreographer in Hollywood. Among her work includes stunt doubling for Simone Missick, who played Misty Knight in Marvel’s Luke Cage and Iron Fist series, and was part of the Dora Milaje (all-women military squad) in Black Panther. Her additional credits include The CW’s Black Lightning, Free Guy, The Gray Man, Quantico, Avengers: Endgame, The Old Guard The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Ms. Marvel. Most recently, Jénel doubled for Jameela Jamil on Marvel’s She-Hulk.
Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales caught up with Stevens shortly before the film was released and spoke about her experience working on this box office hit.
