STUNT WOMAN
Damita Jane Howard is Just Cool By Tr ac ey Hawk i ns
A tlanta-based Damita Jane Howard is cool, chill, incredibly humble, and a necessity in her unique profession. For over ten years, she has leapt and fallen and jumped and taken punches (fake and real) from celebrities on the sets of some very well-known movies and TV shows. You have seen her impressive work as a professional stuntwoman in Avengers: Infinity War , Avengers: Endgame , Star, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Hunger Games, Whip It, Captain America, The Nice Guys, The Purge, The Originals, NCIS: New Orleans, and Selma as well as The Walking Dead, for which she has been the longest-running stunt-double (she is the stunt Michonne!). That you never knew you were watching Damita speaks volumes about her talent and passion for this rare and difficult profession. A Compton, California native, Howard has a fascinating background that includes a bachelor’s degree
in criminal justice from Clark Atlanta University and two master’s degrees in applied social sciences and historic preservation; all while a roller derby girl. Playing with the Atlanta Rollergirls at the national level led to Howard’s first role in stunts. Whip It director Drew Barrymore needed someone to skate for the character of Rosa Sparks, played by Eve, the rapper/actress in the film. Howard shot as Eve’s stunt-double for six weeks, 12-plus hours a day, and asked the stunt coordinator to help her get into stunts. He called all of the stunt coordinators in Georgia and gave her glowing recommendations. Howard has always been athletic, and she’s been hooked on the crazy skills, strength, and adrenaline involved in stunt work ever since. Because of her roller derby girl background, Howard excels at getting beat up and returning punches. She can take a punch or kick, jump through fire, leap out of cars, and still get up every time. She was trained in fire-work,
and she is currently training with the President of the Atlanta Black Rodeo Association, Keith Roberts. When not working on set, she now trains three to five days a week in western horse riding, running barrels, roping, and training both horses and other riders. Roberts is also teaching Damita how to be a ranch hand in preparation for owning her own ranch someday. She currently has two beloved quarter horses, Shadow and Blue Magic. Every day for Howard is fun; she gets to play both on-set and off. When she’s not working, she’s training. In addition to riding horses, training includes things like skating, martial arts practice, swimming, practicing fight choreography, and scuba diving. Howard was gracious enough to take some time out of her packed schedule to talk with us about her work in the industry.
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