FRONT MAGAZINE
August 2003

BEST CASE SCENARIO
DANIELLE BURGIO

FRONT meets the star of Bravo TV's Worst Case Scenario and Carrie-Anne Moss' stuntwoman in Matrix Reloaded.

In Vampires you burst into flames, in Ghost of Mars you're shot repeatedly. Tough life, eh?

Yeah, and thrown through glass as well… I broke my rib on Matrix. That was one of my worst injuries: incredibly painful and upsetting. On any other set I'd have gone home, but I stuck it out, suffered the pain.

Have you ever turned down a stunt?

Yeah, absolutely. There are a lot of things I'm not specialized in, like high falls.

Do you ever think, "Christ, why didn't I choose something else?"

I think that all the time. People assume that stunt people have no fear, but I have a tremendous amount of fear. I always go, "what the hell am I doing?"

Does being a stuntwoman mean you're handy in a fight?

As long as it's been choreographed.

What about a catfight?

Oh, in a catfight I can definitely do some damage.

It's said men always exaggerate if they're ill or injured…

Oh my God! Stuntmen are the biggest whiners on the planet.

Even the men you date?

It's a bit intimidating for the men In my life to see a woman come home bruised and battered, which is why I'm perpetually single.

Some men have a fetish for strong, dangerous women…

I think that's great. I love a man who can appreciate a strong woman. I need men who are strong themselves. Not necessarily muscular, but incredibly confident.

Edward West