Every new major film production is, above all else, a treasure trove of new lessons to be learned by the cast and crew involved. In the case of Proud Mary, Taraji P. Henson learned quite a few lessons, but the most important one was that even the most simple stunts require the right padding. Henson described how, thanks to an arm injury, she learned this the hard way:
When you see the action, it's like 'Oh, that's fine. I can do that.' It doesn't look too dangerous. But one false move, and you hit the wrong bone at the wrong angle you can tweak it or break it. So I wear pads now, I learned my lesson. No matter how the simple the stunt looks.
The upcoming Sony action throw down put Taraji P. Henson through the ringer, as it was the most physically demanding film she's been in to date. However, the injury wasn't enough to set Henson back in her production schedule, but enough for her to take the stunt work, no matter how small, with serious zeal. After getting herself around the learning curve, Taraji P. Henson told us that she really enjoyed the challenge that Proud Mary brought to her. Of course, she would later go on to tell the world as much, when she made the following Instagram post a couple months after the set visit.
This wasn't the only challenge that Henson took on during her time on her first film as the above title lead, as in addition to physical stunts, she had to also do some stunt driving with a pretty awesome Maserati. While this may not have been as pressing as the hand to hand combat training that Taraji P. Henson would eventually have to learn, we did see and hear some of the driving that she did for the film, and it sounds like she pulled it off pretty well. Well, except for that one take that landed her in the news, which saw said sports car make contact with a fire hydrant. But just like physical stunt work, car stunts are a bit of a learning curve that needs to be worked around. So surely, there's nothing a little more practice can't buff out.
With all of the varied projects across the just as unique genres that Taraji P. Henson has worked on, Proud Mary is the most demanding film to land on the actor's doorstep. But even in the preliminary looks we've been given into the film's gritty action, you can see that Henson's up for the challenge. Should this would-be franchise hit it big at the box office next month, this may not be the last we see of Henson's Proud Mary. Judging by my time on the set, and the passion that the cast and crew have spoken with when talking about this movie, that's a prospect I really look forward to.
But, before a sequel can be had, the original needs to make its way to theaters. And if you're looking forward to Proud Mary, January 12th, 2018 is the day you've been waiting for.
