Some would say that Jwaundace Candece is one in a million. You might
not recognize her face just yet, but you definitely won’t miss that body. Union
stuntwoman, professional wrestler and accomplished actor, Candece can fight ‘til
the finish and crash a moving car without batting an eyelash.
The
triple-threat performer has been in a few great flicks, both as a stunt double
for actresses like Queen Latifah (Scary
Movie 3, Bringing Down The House,
Taxi, Last Holiday) and Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), and is building a resumé as an actress in her own
right.
We
recently spoke with the strong-willed performer about her amazing – and safe to say “kick
ass” – career.
AllHipHop.com:
What’s your secret to staying to fit?
Jwaundace
Candece: Meditation and Yoga – and don’t forget, discipline. I’m always been
sort of a daredevil, but I hated to go to the gym. What I really do is take
care of myself, keep my muscles warm and get my rest; that’s key.
AllHipHop.com:
What does a stunt woman do when she’s not doing stunts on a movie?
Jwaundace:
I get up most days and go to Yoga class. I love to do girlie things like get
pedicures and wear cute dresses. I do most things that are opposite from the
rough and rugged world of stunts.
AllHipHop.com:
I was just watching Quentin Tarantino’s Planet
Terror
and I loved how the ladies, especially the brown skinned ladies, gotto kick some ass. Are there more scripts out there for like Planet Terror?
Jwaundace:
If you think it’s hard for Black actress in Hollywood to get work, it’s even
harder for Black stunt women in Hollywood trying to catch a break. Planet Terror was one in a million.
AllHipHop.com:
How did you start in front of the camera?
Jwaundace:
Funny enough, I went out for music videos. Everybody has to serve their time in
this business, everybody. No one is exempt from that; being an extra or not
making any money, shaking your butt.
AllHipHop.com:
So, you went from videos to wrestling. How did that happen?
Jwaundace:
Let’s be clear, I wasn’t a fan of wrestling. I thought it was fake, just like
everybody else. One of my cousins was really into it, and I started watching it
with him. I only considered wrestling because I needed the money. It was a
paycheck at first. I was a struggling actress.
AllHipHop.com:
Did you ever experience racism or sexism while wrestling?
Jwaundace:
Because I was a part of a woman’s tag team group, we didn’t have the sexism
issue. The Rock was huge back then, and his popularity with the crowd allowed
the Women of Wrestling to get some love. Because I’m a Black woman and my tag
team [Caged Heat] were two other Black women, we
stood out and that made the crowd love us even more.
AllHipHop.com: What was it that you loved about wrestling, other
than the good money, of course?
Jwaundace: Wrestling
really allowed me to exercise my athleticism. [Caged Heat] had a lot of fun
back then. My partners, Loca and Vendetta were my girls. I miss them.
WATCH JWAUNDACE AND CAGED HEAT IN ACTION
AllHipHop.com: Then you
smoothly transitioned into doing stunts… Where did you find the time?
Jwaundace: I’d
gotten a call from my agent, who wanted me to talk to the stunt coordinator for
Queen Latifah’s movie Bringing Down the
House
. I wasn’t thinking about the job, I was just thinking about meetingQueen Latifah. I had no idea what stunt people did.
I was so ignorant. I was
thinking to myself, “If she did Set It
Off, why can’t she do a few stunts in this movie?” So to be honest, I went
out for the gig because of her. I’m a big fan of the Queen.
AllHipHop.com: So your
first gig as a stunt woman was for Queen Latifah? That’s huge.
Jwaundace: After
doing Bringing Down The House,
Latifah told me I was on board for her next movie. We ended up working on [Scary Movie] 3, Taxi and Last Holiday.
AllHipHop.com: Do you
have one great Latifah story after working with her on four projects now?
Jwaundace: There
are a lot of stories about working with Queen Latifah that I can’t tell. Let’s
just say that I’ve been honored to work with her. I’ve been out of the country
to places I would have never gone working with her.
AllHipHop.com: In
Hollywood, she’s considered a full-figured woman. Is that your niche, being a
stunt for full-figured actresses?
Jwaundace: You
know what, let me see, I’ve worked with Kym Whitley, with Jennifer Hudson and
with Mo’Nique twice. The last movie that I did with Mo’Nique was Push, directed by Lee Daniels. It’s
coming out this summer. I try to get jobs everywhere; staying fresh and hot. We
just finished a Volkswagon commercial.
The best thing about
going out for acting parts versus stunts is that they are hired by two
different people on the crew. The casting director hires actors, and the stunt
coordinator hires the stunt people. Plus, it helps that I have an agent for
both. I love doing commercials.
AllHipHop.com: If you
were to talk to Black girls who wanted to know about getting into this
business, what would you advise them to do?
Jwaundace: I’d say, stay
fit; develop your physical craft just like you develop any craft. I’d say,
practice your craft daily and put your work on camera. Send out tapes of your
stunts and your strength, and visit stuntsplayers.com to find all the best
stunt coordinators.
AllHipHop.com: Who was
your inspiration?
Jwaundace: Pam
Grier, mainly. After watching her in movies like Foxy Brown, Coffey and Sheba Baby, I thought she was so pretty
and sexy, yet knew how to kick butt. I think every little Black girl wants it
all – to be fly and strong at the same time.
CHECK OUT THE JWAUNDACE CANDECE STUNT REEL
