“Ugh. I’m so BORED!” says stuntwoman supreme Zoë Bell at the start of the “Boss Bitch Fight Challenge” video she uploaded on May. 1. Zoë, who has coordinated stunts on films like Grindhouse, Inglorious Basterds, and Thor: Ragnarok, felt the itch for some action under quarantine. “I just want to play with my friends!” she shouted, before an idea (with its accompanying sound effect) popped in her head. “Wait a minute! I CAN play with my friends!” From there, Zoe kicks the camera…only for Lucy Lawless to take the foot to the face! “What the heck, Zo-zo?” asked Lucy, who worked with Zoë on Zena: Warrior Princess, before returning fire with Xena’s chakram in her hand.
From there, an epic brawl unfolds, and it seems every single female action star gets smacked, whacked, headbutted, roundhouse kicked, and punched. There’s a mini Charlie’s Angels reunion: Drew Barrymore gets kicked by Tara Macken’s roller skate, and Cameron Diaz gets kicked in the back (courtesy of stuntwoman Amy Johnston). Daryl Hannah pulls off arguably the best moment when she reprises her role from Kill Bill AND manages to don protective face gear. Actually, it’s a very Quentin Tarantino-esque cast (probably because Zoë has worked on a handful of his movies) with even Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’s Julia Butters getting in on the fun. Zoe Saldana and Scarlett Johansson also pop up for those in need of a Marvel Cinematic Universe fix. Even Halle Berry throws hands.
Some might pick Thandie Newton’s son Booker – with katana – as the moment that steals the show, or Margot Robbie picking up her Harley Quinn baseball bat at the video’s highlight. It’s really hard to pick, but perhaps the best part of the video is how it puts a spotlight on how talented and amazing stunt workers like Zoë Bell genuinely are.
The whole cast is fantastic, and if any of these names are unfamiliar, Google them and check out their work. The video stars: Zoe Bell, Lucy Lawless, Tara Macken, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Tamiko Brownlee, Rosario Dawson, Amy Johnston, Cameron Diaz, Kim Murphy, Daniela Ruah, Michaela McAllister, Kaitlin Olson, Lauren Mary Kim, Florence Pugh, Julia Butters, Angela Meryl, Sarah Irwin, Daryl Hannah, Sophia Di Martino, Tracie Thoms, Shauna Duggins, Zoe Saldana, Ming Qui, Renée Goldsberry, Rosie Perez, Lilly Aspell, Thandie Newton, Mel Stubbs, Jessie Graff, Monique Ganderton, Halle Berry, Heidi Moneymaker, Scarlett Johansson, Dayna Grant, Margot Robbie, Renae Moneymaker, KT Tunstall (who provided the soundtrack to the fight) and Zoe Bell (again.)
“This whole process has just felt like little explosions of joy, spreading from one person to the next (I am aware of the analogy I am making, and I can’t think of anything more appropriate),” Zoë Bell said in a statement to SYFY WIRE. “That’s not to say it was an easy process nor a straightforward one, but what a lesson in how beautifully things can come together when you have great, invested people and a common purpose. My mum would be over the moon.”