Mary J Blige did not know anything about the Umbrella Academy graphic novel. Preparing for her role in its visual adaptation gave her the opportunity to dive into the action-packed world. She studied hard to the play role of Cha Cha and put her physique to work as she embodied the fierce character. The singer went as far as doing most of her stunts for the Netflix series.
“I went all the way for Cha-Cha,” Blige told Variety on Tuesday at the series’ red carpet premiere in Hollywood. “The stunt work was amazing. I did a lot of my own stunts. I did a lot of my own fights.”
“I was hanging from wires, for real,” she continued. “I was pulling glass out of my face. It was crazy.”
Her fitness was also challenged in a fight scene with Cameron Britton who stands stall as 6"5. Blige took on the battle with confidence and managed to hold her own in the grappling. “We just did it,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Look, don’t be afraid. Throw me, punch me, whatever! Do it. Just do it.’ I’m strong like that.” But, she admitted, “We were pretty sore and beaten up the next day.”
Britton praised her work ethic. “She was up at six in the morning on Saturday to do martial arts while I was still midway through my sleep patterns,” he said.