By: Hannah Scott
What does a person want to become in the future? That’s the question everyone gets asked quite a few times in their childhood. Some want to be doctors, while others want to be astronauts and explore space. Some even want to be superheroes like the ones in the Marvel movies. But do they become that? As kids, their strong imaginations regarding careers sometimes clash with the realities shaped by market trends, according to the World Economic Forum.
However, in some cases, these young ones pursue careers they are passionate about. Similarly, Andrea Ross, a gymnast and stunt woman, was clear about what she wanted to be and how she would achieve it.
Andrea was born in London, Ontario. She graduated from the University of Calgary with two degrees in Business and Kinesiology. Always interested in sports, Andrea became an athlete. She competed in wrestling for about 15 years throughout her education, making it central to her career, and even competed for Team Canada in freestyle wrestling during her university years. She won the Canadian, University, Pan-Am, and Commonwealth Champion titles.
Alongside wrestling, she was also a competitive gymnast. Both sports helped her overall strength and complemented each other. According to a study, gymnastics helps with strength, flexibility, and bodily and spatial awareness, which are also beneficial in wrestling.
After completing her education, Andrea got the chance to work as a training gymnast and realized that it was her passion. For her, it wasn’t just about moving from one opportunity to another and uncovering her potential. She started as a gymnastic program coordinator for a members-only fitness and social club called Calgary Winters Club. While doing so, she also competed in an international parkour and freerunning competition.
When asked about her motivation behind never stopping, Andrea replied, “My motivation is simple. It is to fulfill my childhood dreams and turn them into reality. If I won’t do it for myself, then who would? My hard work makes my goals seem achievable and realistic; it makes me feel good about myself.“
Parkour inspired Andrea to pursue a career as a stuntwoman in the television and film industry. Despite having a solid athletic background and career, she still transitioned to becoming a stuntwoman in Hollywood. Nevertheless, the transformation was not a matter of day but steps she took over the years.
Since practice makes a man perfect, it gave Andrea the advantage she needed as she had been practicing gymnastics most of her life. Her background and years of training prepared her for what she was to get into and helped her get a role in the industry as a stuntwoman.
Humans are always paid for their efforts, although the time may vary from person to person. Some might get rewarded for their hard work earlier than others, but no one goes empty-handed. Similarly, Andrea got the opportunity to work as a stuntwoman for Juliette Lewis, Wayne Callies, Jes Macallan, Leslie Bibb, Ana Torv, Heather Graham, and many others.
She also worked on shows such as The Last of Us, Fargo, Man in the High Castle, and Peacemaker. But the big shot worked for her in The Supernaturals, where she acted as a body double for Emily Swallow. It was the highlight of her career.
Later, she was also nominated for the award of best stunt performance in the 2022 UBPC/ACTRA Awards. It took Andrea some time to accomplish what she believed in, but she always chose to stay on the path in between.
Sometimes, people feel overwhelmed while improving, especially when achieving their goals takes a long time. But they should always ask themselves what is the point of working so hard for such a long time if only it ends with quitting. Likewise, Andrea never stepped down, fearing the hurdles and longevity of the journey. She knew it would be tough but persevered.
Her journey inspires aspiring stuntpersons who question their choices and feel underconfident. It teaches people that hard work, consistency, and passion can lead them to realize their oldest dreams and excel in their fields. This recipe differentiates doers from dreamers and enables young ones to learn their seemingly impossible dreams as they grow up.
Published By: Aize Perez
