The Woman King’s John Boyega, Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim on Doing Their Own Stunts

With director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s (The Old Guard, Love & Basketball) The Woman King now playing in theaters, I recently got to speak with John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, and Sheila Atim about making the movie inspired by true events. The Woman King tells the story of the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey which was one of the most powerful states in the continent of Africa during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The film follows Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Also starring in the film are Thuso Mbedu, Adrienne Warren, Jayme Lawson, and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin. During the interview, Boyega, Lynch, and Atim talked about how hard they worked to make sure the action looked great, doing their own stunts, what it took to prepare for their roles, and how the training informed their performances. The film was written by Dana Steve