We are creating these whole worlds! We get to tell these stories where there is magic and swords and dragons and whatever else.
The structure of gender in this world and the structure of race in this world, can be different or be destructured. For us to be able to imagine a world where that can be true outside of our own world, I think is valuable.
ON BREAKING THE BARRIERS IN FANTASY & SCI-FI
Chloe Baldwin is the world’s nicest badass. Based in Chicago, the actress, filmmaker, and violence designer has worked across many mediums of storytelling; from theatre, film, television, and even her own webseries Like What You Like. She is also an AEA and SAG-AFTRA member, and has worked on productions such as The Woman in Black‘s national tour and Steve McQueen’s Widows.
Throughout her work she strives to teach young women to connect with their bodies and the strength within them that is often discouraged by society.
Women are told in so many direct and subconscious ways that your body is to be sexual or that your body is to be looked at. I feel like there are very few messages we get that say your body is powerful.
CHLOE BALDWIN
In this episode, we talk about everything from Chloe’s journey into filmmaking and stunt-work, how to use fighting as a powerful way of storytelling and showing character depth, the way the stunt industry is almost completely overlooked when it comes to awards and appreciation of filmmaking, the massive lack of diversity and representation in fantasy and sci-fi, and how you can be part of the change.
How do you prepare for a fight? Is it more so mentally or physically?
I think the first step is definitely physically. The physical aspect of it always kind of feels like the bones of the house that I’m building. The nice thing about fighting is that everything has a specific style – even if I were to play a new character but with the same kind of fighting style, I would still have to re-learn what I’m doing.
I’ll learn the fighting style if I haven’t learned it yet – if it is broadsword I’ll learn how to swing a broadsword – how to do all those different moves and kind of build the foundation for what that is. Then thinking about like what is this character’s style? Are they kind of cocky, are they a little bit more reserved and they’re kind of centred and waiting for the other person to make the first move?
Or are they desperate in this scene? And if you are desperate, how does that affect how effective you are in fighting? does it make you that more able to take risks and therefore you do better, or does it make you sloppy because you are desperate to win?
CHLOE BALDWIN
Listen to the full episode now, wherever you get your podcasts.
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