Angelica Lisk-Hann has been bruised, concussed, pierced and “kicked in the lady parts.” Those are the hits that come with being a stunt performer. So too is seeing white people wear Blackface.
“Painting down” is the expression that’s used for the very common practice in the film and television industry, when a stunt performer is made up to look like an actor from another race or given some richer foundation to take on a darker complexion, as even Lisk-Hann has done. It happens because there haven’t been many Black stunt performers ready to take on piecemeal work in an industry that largely casts white.
Lisk-Hann, who is Canada’s first Black woman stunt coordinator, discussed the ways the Canadian film industry could amend that on the NOW What podcast, suggesting new hiring practices while recognizing the barriers that still make it difficult to find and hold onto diverse talent in the field.
