Following the massive success of 2017’s ‘Wonder Woman’ is its highly anticipated successor, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’. Despite the many delays that the coronations pandemic has caused, the movie starring Gal Gadot has found a way to make its way to fans, through select cinemas and HBO Max. And while much of the hype revolves around the continuation of Diana Prince’s story (and the return of her once-dead lover), on behind the scenes fact is slowly making its way to the forefront: the fact that the 13-year-old actress Lilly Aspell – who plays ‘Young Diana’ – did all of her own stunts.
Who is Lilly Aspell?
This is not our first time meeting actress Lilly Aspell. Like Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen, Aspell is reprising her role as the young warrior princess. The Scottish-born actress – whose parents are both professional jockeys – made her debut as ‘Young Diana’ in the 2017 movie, where she is seen early on in the film mimicking the Amazons as they trained. In the first film, Young Diana is stopped from participating in training with the other warriors by her mother but is soon trained by Antiope instead. In ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, Aspell once again opens the film – while showcasing what Antiope has trained her to do.
The crazy thing? While we see ‘Young Diana’ put her training to the test, we also see Lilly Aspell prove that she’s a true “wonder girl”.
What does ‘Young Diana’ do?
Aspell plays Young Diana as she competes in an athletic competition of sorts. She’s the youngest amongst the competitors, who are faced with an obstacle course. Not only does Aspell nail the course, but she also has to swim through the sea and ride through hills while shooting arrows. The scenes, amazing as they are, were made more jaw-dropping by the fact that Aspell is revealed to have done it all by herself. Director Patty Jenkins initially Tweeted:
“But the MVP of all of this was @LillyAspell . She is AMAZING in everyway, and blew all of our minds with all she could actually do on screen.”
At the watch party for WW84, she responded to fans who highlighted Young Diana’s scenes in the movie. With them, she revealed:
She's the best. And guess what. That is actually her out in the middle of the ocean, for real! She's amazing. https://t.co/sz2bzI15O3
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) December 27, 2020
She also went on to say that Aspell didn’t need a stunt double and that it wouldn’t be possible to “find a better stunt person to cover her if you if you scoured the world”:
“Lilly is an incredible rider. That is her riding the horse. Normally one would never let an actor do that, but she is a an actual pro so we could break the rules. And no one could it better!”
Leading lady Gal Gadot herself called the young actress “a true wonder girl. So sweet, kind” while sharing:
“All of a sudden, watching the Olympic games, I wasn’t Gal watching it. It was the 10-year-old girl watching another 10-year-old doing the most amazing things that I, as a person, never got to witness. And it got me really moved.”
Catch a glimpse of her incredible acting (and crazy stunt skills) in the trailer:
*Cover image credits: Instagram / @lillyaspellactress