Being one of the highest ranked stunt doubles, Alicia Vela-Bailey knows a thing or two about action films. She was Zoe Saldaña’s double in Avatar, Rosie Huntington-Whitley’s double in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Kate Beckinsale’s double in Total Recall and most recently, Shailene Woodley’s double in the most anticipated film of the year, Divergent.

Based on Veronica Roth’s best selling book, the film is a thrilling action-adventure set in a future where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities. Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she embarks a journey to find out the truth about this group.  There is where production needed Alicia’s help.

Vela-Bailey began her career as a gymnast at a very young age, but after an unfortunate elbow injury, she switched to dancing.  As a dancer, she became one of the Pussycat Dolls in Las Vegas and while doing the show, she got a call to audition for James Cameron’s Avatar.  From there on, she became a stunt star.

Entertainment Affair talked to her right before the premiere of Divergent and she explains to us why this film became her most challenging work to date.

Entertainment Affair: How important are the stunts in this film?
Alicia Vela-Bailey: I would say very important because there are so much in this film.  I didn’t know the story before, but when I knew I was going to work in the movie, I tried to read the books and I didn’t realize how much action there was going to be.  Once I found out, I was very busy.  I was like ‘Wow! This is a lot of work’ (she laughs).

EA: You did the jump of Tris (the main character played by Shailene Woodley) free falling into Dauntless that is in every trailer of the movie.  How difficult was that?
AV: Actually, this jump is the most thrilling thing I’ve ever done.  I’ve never done a jump that high before, free falling.  The day of the shoot was very windy, so finding my balance was very difficult.  But it was a lot of fun.

EA: How challenging was working in this film in comparison to the other movies you’ve done?
AV: This movie has a lot of different stunts.  It wasn’t just one thing.  Usually, in other films they require a lot of the same stunts, like a lot of fighting or a lot of explosions, but it's more fun when I get to do very different things instead of the same over and over again.  Therefore, this movie was definitely more exciting.

EA: How do you prepare yourself before going on set?
AV: Exercise my body, trying to eat well, having an open mind to be ready for anything, especially in this industry where things change the morning of the shoot.  You have to be ready for anything at any given time.

EA: You are a dancer.  How did you end up doing stunt work?
AV: I know, right.  I have a gymnastic background as well, which helps me a lot with learning fighting choreographies, imitating body movement when doubling people.  Being a woman, it helps with the ability to move gracefully, when you can (she laughs).

EA: Your resumé is very impressive.  Do you miss your dancing career?
AV: I do.  I try to take classes whenever I can.  Right now, my schedule has been pretty tight.  I still get called to dance here and there, but I am so busy. I try to dance whenever I can.  It’s still fun to do it.

EA: Do you think stunt work is underrated?
AV: Not really.  The general public does not know about it.  Before I started, I used to watch movies and not think about it.  You just enjoy the film without thinking about if the actress did that or not.  The people in the industry are used to.  We try to make the actor look good for the benefit of the movie.

Therefore, If you don’t notice Alicia’s work this next March 21st in Divergent, that means she did a great job.

Photo: Jaap Buitendijk © 2013 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.