The following Career Dispatches essay was written by Jules Willcox, the star of the psychological thriller “Alone,” available on-demand Sept. 18.
As a child of the ’80s and ’90s, my heroes were action stars: Ellen Ripley in “Aliens,” Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Mad Max, Sarah Conner in the “Terminator” franchise, and Trinity in “The Matrix.” I didn’t just want to be an actor when I was a little kid, I wanted to be these characters—regardless of their gender.
My brother and I turned our rural family farm into whatever movie we’d rented from the local video store/gun club. Crossing a fallen tree trunk over a ravine transformed into walking the plank over molten lava; jumping on hay bales became riding on an elephant’s back; Freddy Krueger most certainly lived in our neighbor’s deer stand.
How to Become a Stunt Performer As I got older and started acting I found there was a deficit of roles that were triumphant, complex, or even central to the main storyline for women and girls. My experience and opportunities expanded once I went to grad school. The MFA program at UCLA heavily focused on physical training: the work of Jerzy Grotowski, the Alexander Technique, martial arts and stage combat. That rigorous physical work plus the verbal sparring of Shakespeare and Shaw’s heroines relit the spark that made me want to act in the first place.
About three years ago I received an offer for a film based on a Swedish thriller called “Alone.” It was everything I loved in a role: physical, emotional, muscular, a heroine’s journey of survival. I noticed that the director was John Hyams. John and I had been in the trenches together on an episode of television when our footage from the final day of shooting somehow disappeared and we had an hour to reshoot all of it. Here he was offering me the opportunity to take on the lead role in an epic survivalist thriller. My answer was a resounding “hell yes.”
We shot on location in the forests just outside of Portland. We hit a major road block early in production when I broke my foot doing a stunt. Leaving me the choice to go home or soldier on, John proposed working the injury into the story line. I sucked it up and leaned on my years of physical training to get through the rest of the shoot. It was a dream to continue to do many of my own stunts; running through the woods, getting submerged in white water rapids, fighting for my life in car chases and mud pits. I couldn’t have done it without the help and craft of stunt performer Michelle Damis and my co-star Marc Menchaca.
I’ve been asked if I’m disappointed that “Alone” is not getting a big theatrical release because of quarantine. Yes, I’d love for audiences to see it in theaters but we have all dealt with versions of being alone, isolated, and fearful since March. I hope that watching this film at home provides a heartening catharsis that is needed during these times. Plus, I knew when I signed up for this crazy life that it certainly prepares you for the unexpected. Y’know that old saying about it being a marathon and all…
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