During an interview on 'Good Morning America', the 'No More Drama' hitmaker reveals that she underwent five months of tough training for her role as Cha-Cha on the superhero series.
- Feb 15, 2019
AceShowbiz - Mary J. Blige went all out for her new superhero series, "The Umbrella Academy", and insisted on performing her own stunts.
The "No More Drama" hitmaker plays villain Cha-Cha on the series, which is adapted from a graphic novel co-created by former My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, and she reveals she underwent five months of tough training to learn how to fight onscreen.
"We were in Toronto for five months," she told U.S. breakfast show "Good Morning America" on Thursday, February 14. "The first day that I landed, I was amped to go and train in martial arts. So everyday we had to train for martial arts, then we had to train for fights, then we had to train to act and fight (at the same time)..."
"I already knew how to shoot guns before I got there, because my girlfriend took me to the shooting range, so I already learned how to shoot an MP 40, which is the gun that Cha-Cha is supposed to use. Then I just said, 'Let me learn everything else', and I was prepared for the gun part when I got there, but the fighting was a lot of work."
Blige enjoyed her stunt work, but admits it left her with some nasty cuts and bruises along the way.
"The stunt work was amazing," she recently told Variety. "I was hanging from wires, for real. I was pulling glass out of my face. It was crazy."
Mary J. Blige did many of her own stunts for #TheUmbrellaAcademypic.twitter.com/tUVfIvrKlk
— Variety (@Variety) 13 February 2019
"We just did it," she continued. "I said, 'Look, don't be afraid. Throw me, punch me, whatever! Do it. Just do it'. I'm strong like that. We were pretty sore and beaten up the next day."