THERE'S A NEW “SHERO” IN TOWN, AND HER NAME IS GILLIAN WHITE!
Black Belt|August/September 2021
GILLIAN WHITE HAS WORKED IN FILM AND TELEVISION FOR 25 YEARS — FAR LONGER THAN SHE’S BEEN MARRIED TO MICHAEL JAI WHITE, WHOM SHE WED IN 2015. RECENTLY, SHE’S CREATED A BUZZ IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY BECAUSE OF HER ROLE AS ZARA INTAKE BACK, A MOVIE THAT ALSO STARS HER HUSBAND AND TEACHER, AS WELL AS MICKEY ROURKE. AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF HYBRID TRAINING THAT INCLUDES KYOKUSHIN KARATE AND AN ARRAY OF EFFECTIVE FIGHTING STYLES, GILLIAN WILL STEP INTO HISTORY AS THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE MARTIAL ARTIST TO PLAY THE LEAD IN AN ACTION FILM WHEN TAKE BACK IS RELEASED THIS YEAR.
GERRY CHISOLM
THERE'S A NEW “SHERO” IN TOWN, AND HER NAME IS GILLIAN WHITE!

Black Belt: How did you end up playing the lead in this film?

Gillian White: You know, I was offered the role. The producer and the director contacted me and said, “We got a script for you. We think you’d be great for it. Let us know what you think.” As soon as they told me what it was about, I knew I wanted to do it. Coming in and being able to showcase my martial arts skills and fight skills has been awesome. I always wanted to do action. I got a little bit of it playing Amoria on Xena: Warrior Princess. I mean, it’s absolutely exciting. I did choose to have a stunt double, but the actual fighting is me.

Black Belt: Who choreographed the fights for Take Back?

Gillian: Mainly, my husband. We also had our stunt coordinator Arnold Chon, who does a lot of stuff in the film. He has trained a lot of MMA fighters in Bellator and the UFC. And we [had] stunt choreographer and director Larnell Stovall (Captain America: Civil War).

Black Belt: This role had to be physically demanding — you were very convincing!

This story is from the August/September 2021 edition of Black Belt.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August/September 2021 edition of Black Belt.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BLACK BELTView All
HOW TO CREATE A MARTIAL ART CASE STUDY: COMBAT HAPKIDO
Black Belt

HOW TO CREATE A MARTIAL ART CASE STUDY: COMBAT HAPKIDO

On October 22, 2022, the International Combat Hapkido Federation celebrated its 30th anniversary. As you might expect, we're proud of our organization's longevity, stability and success.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2023
MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101
Black Belt

MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE LIVER SHO

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2023
LOCK UP
Black Belt

LOCK UP

THE CLINCHING LESSONS TAUGHT IN THE ANCIENT GREEK MARTIAL ART OF PANKRATION ARE STILL RELEVANT - AND EFFECTIVE!

time-read
9 mins  |
Summer 2023
KILLER CHARACTER ACTOR
Black Belt

KILLER CHARACTER ACTOR

When Scott Adkins Isn't Headlining His Own Action Movies Like \"Boyka: Undisputed,\" He's Stealing Scenes in Blockbusters Like \"John Wick\" and \"Ip Man\"!

time-read
10 mins  |
Summer 2023
A DEEP DIVE WITH BENNY URQUIDEZ
Black Belt

A DEEP DIVE WITH BENNY URQUIDEZ

Few fighters have a reputation as formidable and a record as impressive as Benny “The Jet” Urquidez. As you will see, his path from the traditional martial arts to full contact and then to kickboxing had more than its share of bumps.

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2023
PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PART 1
Black Belt

PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PART 1

In my six previous columns, pre-emptive striking featured prominently.

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2023
THE DAY JUJITSU DIED
Black Belt

THE DAY JUJITSU DIED

Let us look at one historical instance that illuminates a lesson in task saturation, or what Miyamoto Musashi called \"sword flowers.\"

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2023
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GUY MEZGER: FROM MMA FIGHTER TO HEALER
Black Belt

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GUY MEZGER: FROM MMA FIGHTER TO HEALER

To be successful in mixed martial arts nowadays, you need an all-around game.

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2023
KILLER INSTINCT
Black Belt

KILLER INSTINCT

It's not the size of the woman in the fight but the size of the fight in the woman.

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2023
HAPKIDO'S BONG SOO HAN: THE MAKING OF A MARTIAL ARTS LEGEND
Black Belt

HAPKIDO'S BONG SOO HAN: THE MAKING OF A MARTIAL ARTS LEGEND

Much has been written about Bong Soo Han (1933-2007), his career as a hapkido master and his connection to the Billy Jack films.

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2023