Zoe Bell ('Deathproof', 'Kill Bill', 'Angel of Death')

By Andrew Shearer

I have a difficult time remembering Zoe Bell and I are only a year apart in age. In the '90s, she performed stunts on Xena: Warrior Princess while still a teenager. She's worked with Quentin Tarantino twice, three times if you count Kill Bill as two movies. As Uma Thurman's double, Zoe was responsible for pretty much all the dangerous shit Beatrix Kiddo did in those films, including the famous staircase run-and-slash we all remember from the trailers. And regardless of whether or not you're a fan of Death Proof (I am), you can't deny having been charmed and amazed by Zoe's starring turn as herself, smiling and waving, "I'm okay!" as she pops up from behind the bushes after being thrown from the hood of a speeding muscle car.

This woman has seen and done so much in a relatively short amount of time, it's no wonder I have to keep reminding myself that as an action hero, she's truly just getting started. Zoe recently spoke to me during a break at San Francisco's Wonder Con about her starring role in the new web series Angel Of Death, and answered a question regarding a certain costumed Amazon I can't believe she doesn't get asked more often.

PS: I ran across an interesting bit of trivia about you on the internet: Is it true you broke your toe going to the toilet?

ZB: (Laughs) Yeah. I was running up the stairs to get to the toilet, and I broke my toe because I'm coordinated like that.

PS: Just making sure it happened on the way to, and not while actually on the toilet. I can't imagine how one would do that.

ZB: That would be mortifying (laughs).

PS: I'm sorry. I had to know.

Zoe laughs again. She laughs a lot, so I'll stop writing down every time she does it. Just be aware, she seems to be having a great time and is very enthusiastic while talking to me. At the end of the interview, she actually thanked me for having a sense of humor (this left me wondering what the other journalists she spoke to were like).

Zoe Bell as 'Eve' in 'Angel of Death'

PS: I've never watched a web series before I saw Angel Of Death and I ended up really liking what I saw. It's pretty cool stuff.

ZB: Good! Thank you! But I always wonder what it would be like to be interviewed by someone who hated your work.

PS: I jumped at the chance to talk to you, are you kidding me?

ZB: Aww. Good on ya.

PS: So the guy that created Angel Of Death, Ed Brubaker, is well regarded in the comic book world for his neo-noir style. Is this series based on pre-existing material, or is it a brand new story?

ZB: I'm not sure of the exact details, but I think originally Ed was looking to option his book Criminal to get made into a series, but when he was asked if he was interested in coming up with something for me, he was like, "Fuck yeah!", and he basically wrote [Angel Of Death] for me. It's a huge honor to have that happen.

Zoe in 'Death Proof'

PS: So once again, you're the muse of a respected genre writer (after working with Zoe on Kill Bill, Tarantino wrote Death Proof specifically for her). Angel Of Death doesn't seem like a television show, I was surprised at all the gory violence and cursing it has. Was it shot as a movie and then split up into episodes for the web? How did that work?

ZB: It was always planned to be released to the internet in chapters, so that's where having a comic book genius like Ed comes in. Each chapter of the story has to have a beginning, middle, and end with the character in some sort of jeopardy to keep you interested to see what happens next. We shot it as a feature, and it will be packaged on DVD as a full-length film, but it was definitely a challenge to do it the way we did. I really enjoyed it.

PS: Your character, Eve, is a professional hit woman who gets injured on the job, and that's where the story kicks in. I thought this was really interesting because, as a stunt performer, this sort of mirrors the risks you take in that line of work. It's really a perfect fit for you.

ZB: That's all Ed's doing, all from his crazy brain. The script was written with me in mind [for Eve], and only a couple things got shifted around as we were shooting.

PS: In terms of stunt work on the show, are the producers more careful about what they have you doing because you're the star?

ZB: Technically, yes, but I make it clear I don't want them being too careful with me. They're just more concerned if it looks like I may have gotten hurt, it scares them more! They do have a double on standby for insurance purposes, not ours personally, but for the overall production. Otherwise, the insurance company wouldn't go for it. The double is about five inches shorter than me, and of a different race.

PS: That's wild to imagine you with your own double, it's an interesting switch. Did you have one on Death Proof as well?

ZB: No, no, no, no. When you've got someone like Quentin Tarantino dealing with an insurance company, he's got some sway, you know? [Angel Of Death] is low-budget, it's a labor of love, everyone's working really hard. I fought them for a bit about having a stunt double, but it got to a point where I was like, I don't need to be making things harder for the guys who are making the movie. It's not their problem that the insurance company is demanding what they're demanding. If it means the difference between them being able to make the movie they want, who am I to get in the way of that? Besides, whoever gets hired as my stunt double isn't going to be doing anything, so I may as well give her a couple of days' pay for a free ride. Why not?

PS: I was very happy with the way the show is photographed and edited in terms of the action. It's not over-stylized, I could really tell you were the one performing all the fights and falls.

ZB: It's cool that they were really open about how to shoot action, and Paul [Etheredge] is such a tremendous director. I have so much respect for him; he's very generous and open but by no means a pushover. He knew exactly what he wanted and was also open to collaboration, which basically spoiled me. He was really good when it came to action scenes, he would discuss it with me before shooting. Action is important to me because it's obviously where I come from. I want the action to be low-profile, basic stuff, we don't need to be doing nine hundred flips between buildings and blowing up cars, shutting down main streets of Los Angeles or something. We did it to where you can actually see what's going on and it's not wasted.

PS: It's also nice to see a good female action character brought to life while retaining that comic book sensibility. It's unfortunate, and you know this because you doubled Sharon Stone for Catwoman, that we don't often see the best translations from comic page to movie screen when it comes to female heroes. Have they approached you to play Wonder Woman yet?

ZB: No, but how cool would that be?

PS: I'm surprised to hear that. I think it would be perfect, especially for anyone who saw Double Dare (documentary film in which Zoe Bell is brought from New Zealand to Hollywood and mentored by Wonder Woman stunt performer Jeannie Epper).

ZB: It would be cool to come full circle like that, but you know, I'm not the producers of Wonder Woman, so;

PS: Let's start the Wonder Woman campaign!

ZB: Dude! Start the Wonder Woman campaign!

You can watch all epsiodes of Angel of Death for free at www.Crackle.com