A crowdfunding campaign has raised over $90,000 for Mad Max: Fury Road and Wonder Woman 1984 stunt performer Dayna Grant after she sustained a serious head injury while working on set. The campaign sought to raise $60,000 to cover the cost of the surgery, but now that number has been far exceeded and contributions are still pouring in.
According to the official crowdfunding campaign, Grant was diagnosed with an “8mm Aneurysm and upper spinal neck injuries" and required immediate surgery. However, her health insurance was unable to cover the life-saving procedure.
Grant was Charlize Theron’s stunt double on both Mad Max: Fury Road and Snow White and The Hunstman. She has also worked as a stunt performer on films like Wonder Woman 1984, The Meg, and Disney's live-action Mulan. Over the years Grant has also served as a stunt double for actress Lucy Lawless on shows like Xena: Warrior Princess, Spartacus, and Ash vs. Evil Dead. Lawless even took to social media to encourage her fans to donate to the crowdfunding campaign, promising to match each donation dollar to dollar until the campaign reached its goal. Grant herself took to social media to thank fans for their incredibly generous support, posting a heartfelt video on her Twitter account.
While the news is in many ways heartwarming and an example of fandoms at their best, it also serves as a stark reminder that even those working within the Hollywood system sometimes don't have access to the healthcare they need. Stunt performers are truly the unsung heroes of the film industry. It's one of the most dangerous jobs in entertainment, as Tom Cruise can attest to after working on Mission: Impossible 7, and stunt performers are frequently injured or even killed while working in film and television. They often do the work that actors are unable to do, putting their lives on the line for our entertainment. Indiana Jones 5 star Harrison Ford even said of his longtime stunt double Vic Armstrong, "If you learn to talk I'm in deep trouble!"
From superhero franchises like Wonder Woman to John Wick sequels, there's never been a better time in cinematic history to be a stunt performer. Many fans and those within the industry have been calling for greater recognition for stunt performers, with some even campaigning for an Academy Award category for stunts. This would make sense since the Oscars are about recognizing the many different elements and hard work that goes into making a movie, and stunt performers are certainly deserving of that recognition.
You can check out Grant's work in Mad Max: Fury Road and Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max.
Source: Give A Little