Interview #8: Tammy Barker! Stunt Double for Renée O’Connor | Gabrielle - Seasons 3, 4 & 5 💥⚔️

This episode we chat with Tammy Barker, the legendary Aussie stunt double for Renée O’Connor | Gabrielle across Seasons 3, 4 and 5 💪

 

Tammy is the stunty who takes Gabrielle from the sweet, scroll-carrying bard 📜 to the fully fledged warrior, the “Battling Bard of Potidaea” ⚔️. This is the woman who did the hard yakka: the hits, the falls, the fire, even copping a broken nose at the end of (an extremely apologetic) Renée O’Connor’s staff in “Forgiven” (S3E14), all so Gabrielle’s evolution felt earned 🤕💥

 

Tammy was behind some of the most iconic moments in the entire series, including the infamous 'Gab Drag' in “The Bitter Suite” (S3E12) 🎶💔, and the blistering fire scenes in “Forget Me Not” (S3E17) 🔥😭

 

She reflects on what it was like working in the ’90s as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Aussie who crossed the ditch to chase her dreams in Aotearoa | New Zealand and suddenly finding herself in the middle of one of the most physical, groundbreaking TV productions of the decade 📺⚡️

 

Warning: this episode contains Tammy doing spins with her sais, at which point Lou and Shell absolutely fizz, fully, loudly, and with zero chill 🫠💖

 

It’s high-energy, behind-the-scenes gold, a love letter to stunt work 🎬, the unsung heroes who made the Xena action hit as hard as it did and just some good ol’ fashion Australia hard yakka! 💥⚔️

 

📸 Follow Tammy on Instagram: @tammybarker1