Double the fun
Words Luke Williamson
Stunt double, Tineke Robson, is taking some time out for herself, which is not surprising considering what she has been doing recently; eating eyeballs, getting shot at, and crawling across walls, to name a few.
“I was eating eyeballs, and I got a leg and an arm shot off. I got swung out of a bathtub and up to the ceiling, smacked by a chair into the kitchen and did an amazing gecko crawl across a wall.” That sounds like a tough day for any one of us, but it was a dream role for Tineke Robson when she was stunt double for lead actress, Alyssa Sutherland, in the recently-released movie, Evil Dead Rise.
“I really loved doubling for Alyssa,” says Tineke. “Alyssa and I got to know each other really well, and we worked together on the physicality of Ellie, her character. Then I would carefully watch the monitor and be aware of where she was at so I could do a good job when I stepped in.”
Tineke began theatre acting as a child and has a degree in Performing Arts, specialising in dance and musical theatre. However, it was when she was working on the Justice League movie in England, 2017, that she got her first taste of stunt work. “I had all the skills from doing lots of sports and dancing as a kid, and I’m always excited to learn something new.”
Tineke especially enjoyed the bathroom scene and gecko crawl across the wall of the house in Evil Dead Rise. “It’s all on wires, and I was in a harness with pulleys and ropes guided by an amazing stunt team who always made me feel safe. The elevator scene was great too. Lots of cables, getting hung up, choked, lots of blood…it was fantastic!” she laughs.
As the movie progressed, Alyssa had to apply increasing amounts of makeup and prosthetics. Tineke had to match her appearance at all times so preparation took quite some time. “Makeup for me, on a good day, was about an hour, but that became four hours as the character developed.”
Tineke was completely involved in the planning and choreography for her stunts, working with the props and costume departments to make sure they were safe and effective. “Alyssa had to do some of the stunts as well, so they would test it out on me first because we didn’t want her to get hurt.”
Since finishing Evil Dead Rise, Tineke has struggled to find ongoing work as an actor or stunt woman. However, she is not one to stand still and has added training in scuba diving and boxing to her resumé, and is planning on becoming a free-diving instructor. “All these things tie in together and I would love to do underwater stunts.”
But that’s not all. Tineke has also just finished a certificate in accounting. “I want to know how to deal with my finances as an actor and there just isn’t much information out there specific to our industry. I would love to be able to help other actors as well because everyone should know this stuff.”
A final resolution for Tineke for 2023 is to implement a regime of rest. “I’m a goer and I tend to keep going until I crash and then need a week to recover. But this year, I’m imposing periods of deep, conscious rest into what I do. No TV, no phones, no computer and, so far, that’s serving me really well.”
Working as an actor is still Tineke’s number one passion and she continues to take acting classes and attend auditions. She is also writing a solo show which is slowly coming to fruition. “I want it to be really engaging and touching, and I want people to feel different about themselves when they leave.”