Stuntmen and stuntwomen are having a bad summer this year, as are the production companies they work for filming television shows and movies. Last month, stuntman John Bernecker was killed in Georgia on the set of the hit television show The Walking Dead. Just a few days ago, a female stunt driver on the set of the upcoming Deadpool 2 movie was also killed, as Deadline reports.
Joi “S.J.” Harris was a rookie stuntwoman on the set of Deadpool 2 – her first as a stunt performer – when she was killed in a motorcycle accident on set. A spokesperson for ACTRA confirmed her identity, but she is not a member of the Canadian actors union.
Production was shut down immediately in the wake of the accident.
Witnesses report that they were filming a stunt sequence when Harris lost control of her motorcycle and crashed through a plate-glass window at Shaw Tower. Harris was portraying the role of Domino during the stunt. She was not wearing a helmet because in the scene, Domino was without a helmet.
Harris, who is an experienced road racer, had been rehearsing the scene all day the prior Saturday. On the day of the accident, they ran the stunt five times before proceeding to filming the sequence.
Another witness said that Harris’ bike seemed to accelerate when it should have slowed down while taking a corner.
According to her online bio, Harris began riding motorcycles in 2013 and was the first African-American woman licensed to compete in American Motorcyclist Association races. She logged more than 1,500 training hours to attain that feat.
Ryan Reynolds, who portrays the titular character, said that Harris’ on-set death left him ‘devastated.’
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