London-based best friends, stuntwoman Ayesha Hussain and director Jade Ang Jackman, first met via Instagram. Jackman had been a fan of Hussain’s from afar and so slid into her DMs – not to flirt, she clarifies, but because she wanted to make a film about other Asian women in the action genre. “Her answer was ‘sure, come over, and I’ll throw knives at your head,’” remembers Jackman.
In the five years since they first met, Hussain has gone on to star in Hollywood blockbusters such as Gladiator II and Deadpool & Wolverine (in which she became the first South Asian X-Man), while Jackman was selected by Steve McQueen’s production company Lammas Park to create a short film, resulting in Young Hot Bloods starring Alfie Allen.
Together, the pair founded Babes with Blades, the women’s collective and fight club campaigning for change in the action genre. As well as working on multiple films of their own, back in January, Hussain and Jackman took over Dalston’s Rio cinema to showcase a series of action shorts to a sold-out audience of over 400 people.
For their latest project, Babes with Blades has teamed up with Levi’s on a new short film, The Croydon Cowgirl. Five years in the making, this project has been evolving for as long as the duo’s friendship, and as a result, tells the story of Hussain’s journey as a stuntwoman, with Jackman pulling the strings behind the camera. Launching today (September 5), you can watch the film now here, or read on to learn more about Babes with Blades.
What made you fall in love with the world of stunts and action films?
Ayesha Hussain: Despite loving on-screen martial arts growing up, I never played a single sport as a kid. Coming from immigrant parents, athletic pursuits just weren’t high on the list of activities for a little girl. In 2017, I did a heritage deep-dive with my mum and discovered that the Indian tribe I hail from – the Rajputs – is the most prolific warrior clan in India, known for training their women in sword combat, even up to the monarchy.
That revelation completely shifted how I saw myself. I started training, and almost by accident found my way into stunts (when a production happened to need an Indian woman who could handle a sword). There I met [stuntman] Nick Chopping, who told me to start training for the British Stunt Register and was our stunt coordinator on The Croydon Cowgirl. So, looking back, it feels like my blood led me to action, as if it was always pre-written.
Jade Ang Jackman: My mum was born in Ipoh, the same town as Michelle Yeoh. One of my earliest memories is watching her ride a green Kawasaki onto a moving train in Stanley Tong’s Police Story Three: Super Cop. That was the spark. I’ve also been told I can barely look people in the eye – I’m always distracted by colour and movement. Action, with its high focus, high skill, and high-octane energy, somehow balances that out. So much is always happening, it gives me laser focus!
I started to wonder, where are stories of female resistance fighters or female getaway drivers with more nuance than riding for a man? – Jade Ang Jackman
Which women-led action movies have been most formative to you both?
Ayesha Hussain: The Matrix was the first film I saw that had a well-rounded non-male gaze female action character, and I remember Trinity mesmerising me!
Jade Ang Jackman: I’ve already touched on Michelle Yeoh being the absolute GOAT of the genre. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was really formative to me as well. It is pretty iconic to have two women fighting over a sword.
When and why did you decide to start Babes with Blades?
Jade Ang Jackman: Back in 2020, I scribbled ‘Babes with Blades’ on a Post-it note and stuck it to my wall as a reminder that I wanted to direct action films. It was the middle of the pandemic and I was binging James Bond and the Fast & Furious franchises like comfort food. At the time, I noticed there were essentially two roles for women in the genre: a scantily clad sidekick with less clothes than lines, or a woman on a revenge mission. I started to wonder, where are stories of female resistance fighters or female getaway drivers with more nuance than riding for a man?
The statistics were pretty bleak too. Four percent of sports media was about women and in 2019, only 28 per cent of speaking characters in action films were women or girls. So, I wanted to be part of that change within the industry. At the time, stunt performers didn’t have a category in the Oscars, so it felt like the genre was being really overlooked in a plethora of ways.
Can you tell us a bit about this project with Levi’s and the creation of the Croydon Cowgirl?
Ayesha Hussain: I fell in love with western arts culture because of the echo of under-representation and learning that one in every four cowboys was Black. I wanted to contribute to a less eurocentric visual than the 50s Hollywood portrayal of cowboys. Coming from a working-class background, we never had the money to ride when I was young, then add to that being from Croydon and not having even been near a horse yard until I was 30. The Croydon Cowgirl was not so much a character we created, but a way to name the crazy juxtaposition of my actual life.
One of the most beautiful experiences with this also, has been the custom Levi’s look we were able to create with our stylist Mia Maxwell and tailor Niran Nair. We decided to create double denim chaps and honour my fallen matriarchs, so they could be included in the documentary by sewing their names in Arabic along the legs of the chaps.
Jade Ang Jackman: Levi’s gave us free rein to marry Ayesha’s western arts background with finally making the documentary that had brought us into each other’s lives to begin with! I was like, Ayesha has got to chase down a sports car on horseback and I want her to key the guy’s car. I wanted to do something I’d not seen before.
[We want to] continue building a team that allows women’s roles in action to extend beyond a tornado kick in a silk dress – Ayesha Hussain
What was the biggest challenge when making this particular film?
Jade Ang Jackman: Have you ever tried to find somewhere in London where a galloping horse can run down a sports car?
Who’s someone that the Croydon Cowgirl would like to duel?
Ayesha Hussain: Fascist dictators and finance bros.
What’s the most challenging stunt you’ve ever pulled off?
Ayesha Hussain: To be honest, learning to hang upside down on a galloping horse is up there.
What’s one stunt you haven’t yet mastered but would like to?
Ayesha Hussain: I’m quite desperate to do something involving hanging out of a helicopter.
What’s the goal for Babes with Blades?
Ayesha Hussain: To continue building a team that allows women’s roles in action to extend beyond a tornado kick in a silk dress.
Jade Ang Jackman: With Babes with Blades, I want to open the door to introduce both men and women to a creative world they might not otherwise experience, and ultimately, help expand their storytelling. While our focus has been on women because of the historic lack of representation, Babes is gender neutral because we want to be inclusive of non-binary, gender non-confirming, and men’s voices whose stories haven’t been heard yet too.
