As “Foxy Brown” Celebrates 50th Anniversary, Pam Grier Reveals She Still Has Injuries from Performing Her Own Stunts
In the wake of the 50th anniversary of “Foxy Brown,” Pam Grier appeared on the talk show “Live with Kelly and Mark” where she opened up about her past experiences working in the film industry and discussed some of her upcoming projects, including a biopic series planned to be adapted from her memoir.
As a pivotal figure in the 70s blaxploitation film era (though Grier disapproves of the term blaxploitation), her legacy and influence on the Hollywood industry has been nothing short of monumental. Widely referred to as the first female action hero, Grier began her career starring in the Roger Corman films “The Big Doll House” and “Women in Cages,” before going on to star in the hugely successful “Foxy Brown,” a gripping revenge tale that sees Grier at the center of the action. Few other action films of the time featured women protagonists, and “Foxy Brown” became an instant classic, carving a path for ensuing waves of women-led, big screen action movies.
This month marks 50 years since the release of “Foxy Brown,” arguably the preeminent film of Pam’s career and one of her most celebrated works. In her interview on “Kelly and Mark,” Grier revealed that she still has some lasting injuries from the stunt work she did on the set of “Foxy,” as well as the four Corman films she starred in in the early 70s. She wasn’t offered a stunt double, so all of the stunt work seen on screen was performed entirely by Grier, and she ended up getting injured on a number of occasions. “I didn’t think I’d walk away,” she said in her interview for “Kelly and Mark.” “I’d be covered with dust, and every episode was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore until I get a stunt double,’ to show what it took to prepare our audience to accept a woman in a ‘masculine’ role.”
During the interview Grier also directed attention to the biopic series, currently in the early phases of production, that’s being adapted from her memoir, “Foxy: My Life in Three Acts.” The forthcoming project will follow Grier’s on-screen career and achievements, as well as her battle with stage-four cervical cancer that she was diagnosed with in 1988 and told she had only 18 months to live. Grier also noted that she is hoping the project lends focus to the stunt work she did in the early age of her acting days, as she feels (even though she has lingering injuries) it is some of the most important work of her career.
Pam Grier’s next project features her in the acclaimed black horror anthology series “Them: The Scare,” and will be available to stream tomorrow (April 25th) on Prime Video, so check it out if you can and stay tuned for updates about her upcoming Biopic.
