Zoë Bell on Redefining Stunt Work, Her Tarantino Years and Hollywood’s New Oscar Category

Over the past two decades, Zoë Bell has quietly revolutionized what it means to be a stunt performer in Hollywood. She’s doubled for Lucy Lawless on Xena: Warrior Princess, collaborated closely with Quentin Tarantino on Kill Bill and Death Proof, and built a multifaceted career that spans stunt work, acting, producing, coordination and directing.

Now the New Zealand-born performer is getting her due. Bell will receive a career tribute at the 2026 Oldenburg International Film Festival recognition that arrives at a pivotal moment for her industry. The Academy Awards will debut a new competitive category for Stunt Design, finally giving the craft the visibility it’s long deserved.

Bell grew up on Waiheke Island in New Zealand with a passion for physical performance. Her early training in gymnastics and martial arts eventually led her to stunt work, a path she discovered through Renaissance Pictures, the production company behind Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess.

As a teenager, Bell became Lucy Lawless’ stunt double, executing demanding wirework, fight sequences and falls that defined the warrior princess. She’s called those years her “Xena-versity” a hands-on education in the technical and creative sides of the craft. Working alongside Lawless also taught her invaluable lessons about collaborating with actors and crews.

Her big break came through Quentin Tarantino. After appearing in Amanda Micheli’s documentary Double Dare, Bell landed an audition for Kill Bill. Tarantino was struck by her precision her ability to nail difficult stunts repeatedly until they were perfect. He brought her to China to double for Uma Thurman on both Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2.

But Tarantino didn’t stop there. For Death Proof, he moved Bell from behind the action to center stage, casting her as a version of herself. She performed one of cinema’s most unforgettable sequences strapped to the hood of a moving Dodge Challenger a role that helped her transition from stunt performer to actor. Rather than pushing formal acting techniques, Tarantino encouraged her to find the character’s emotion and truth.

Bell has continued expanding her reach beyond performing. She produced and starred in the 2013 action film Raze and gradually shifted into stunt coordination and second-unit directing. On Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, she coordinated stunts for Tarantino’s Oscar-winning film, including a memorable sequence where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character wields a flamethrower in a fictional WWII scene.

She’s discovered that coordinating and directing offers a different kind of satisfaction the chance to create opportunities for other performers rather than focusing solely on her own performance.

Bell’s career trajectory reflects a broader shift happening in Hollywood. In 2025, the Academy announced the creation of a new competitive Oscar for Achievement in Stunt Design, starting with the 100th Academy Awards for films released in 2027.

For Bell, the award represents something deeper than industry acknowledgment. It recognizes stunt work as a creative and storytelling craft not just physical risk-taking. Stunt professionals, she emphasizes, contribute choreography, timing and design that shape how films are told.

Bell is now focused on directing, having worked on commercials and as a second-unit director. Her career has come full circle: from a kid training in gymnastics and martial arts to one of Hollywood’s most versatile action filmmakers.

As the industry prepares to hand out its first Stunt Design Oscar for 2027 releases, Bell’s journey stands as proof that the people creating Hollywood’s biggest action moments are doing far more than executing stunts. They’re telling stories.