Amanda Tapping on Get Cooking With the Stars (preview)
(A.k.a. Congratulations on your face, woman.)
So in ‘Smoke and Mirrors,’ O’Neill is charged with murder and Sam goes off to the NID. I got to wear more normal clothes, sort of Men in Black stuff, and a nice pretty skirt. See – it’s all about the wardrobe with me! But what’s really important in this episode is that I actually, for the first time ever in the history of six years of Stargate, got a stunt operator, I probably should have got some in the past because of the outrageous things I’ve done. But with this one I went up to our assistant director and said, “I’m charging down concrete steps, leaping over a wall and a building is exploding behind me. I’m pretty sure that’s a stunt”. So we (that’s Peter Flemming, who played Barrett, and I) practised. We run to the end of this wall and we have to do a leap. Now, there is a mat in one position, and there are cameras positioned all around it and there’s this whole ‘Don’t hit the camera, leaps over here, land on this big fluffy mat’ vibe. But every time we rehearsed it, as soon as I got close to the wall, I’ d do this little gymnast-style hop, skip and leap. And people were like, “Amanda – just run and leap. Run, and leap. What’s with the gymnast thing?” So I keep landing on the mat and I’d spring up and go, “Woo hoo! Six point four from the Russian judge!” which I thought was quite funny, but the crew were getting nervous: “She’s gotta get this right. She has to get it”. I mean, God bless the crew. I think they really like me, but they also know that I’m completely uncoordinated and therefore a great source of entertainment on a daily basis.
Anyway, I’m scared. I have to run down these concrete steps and they weren’t built to code if you know what I mean, they’re too narrow, but I can’t back out now because it’s this huge shot and the whole neighbourhood has turned out. The spectators are all going “Wow! They’re going to blow up this house!” and though we won’t actually blow it up, there is going to be a big explosion, which has taken all day to set up.
So, it’s the last stunt of the day. The crew is trying to reassure me: “No worries, Amanda!” One of the stunt guys has grabbed hold of the end of the mat, to hold it up so that when I land I don’t come sliding off the end. However on the last rehearsal I come flying at him, I land… and he literally punches me in the face because he’s holding the mat and I collide with his fist. Then I’m holding my nose going “Oh crap” and he’s all apologetic, saying “I was trying to help you” and I’m like “No! No! I’m an accident waiting to happen!” I then remember I have a gun in my hand, and that’s something else I have to contend with.
Finally, we’re all set to shoot. Go! I’m running down the stairs, everyone is watching. There’s five cameras rolling – it’s just the huge-est thing. I do the leap, and as I land… I smash myself in the face with my gun! I’m lying there stunned and I can feel the heat of the explosion and I’m like “Oh boy!” I touch my face, which is all wet, and I thought it was blood. Turned out it wasn’t – it was just snot. But my eyes are watering because I smashed myself on the nose.
Everyone is going, “Wow. That was fantastic!” I turned to Jack from craft service and said, “You know, just once I would like to do a stunt where I didn’t incur some sort of injury”. Then Dan Shea, our stunt co-ordinator and big wrench carrier comes up and says, “I’ve never worked with an actress who does her own stunts”. I say, “Ya think I should stop?” and he replies, “Yeah. Amanda, God is sending you messages”. You know what? I think next time, I’ll listen.
