The newPeacemakerseries onHBO Maxis a lot of things. It’s a vehicle for John Cena to show off his comedic chops. It’s a super violent continuation ofThe Suicide Squadwith a (mostly) all-new cast. However, it’s also an excuse to watch Jennifer Holland kick major butt as the eternally ticked-off A.R.G.U.S. agent Emilia Harcourt, and that’s a very special thing to have.
WhenPeacemakerpremiered with its first 3 episodeslast week, audiences basically got a crash course in all of these new and returning characters. From the stoic-to-a-fault Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) to the nervously enthusiastic Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), theHBO Maxseries is chock-full of bizarre and fascinating characters just waiting for their time to shine. Holland’s Harcourt got a special chance in that regard early on thanks to a rather one-sided bar fight against a misogynistic dudebro, and it’s satisfying to watch for pretty much every reason.
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Holland was apparently acutely aware of how fun the short but very sweet brawl was to watch, so she posted a behind-the-scenes clip of an early rehearsal session for the scene, presumably to show that it was just as much fun to film. Masked up thanks to the current and very disappointing cyberpunk dystopia everyone now inhabits, she and stunt performer Spencer Thomas played out a rough version of the beatdown without all the pizzazz added to the end product, and they both appeared to be having the time of their lives.
“I’m definitely smiling underneath this mask,” Holland said in the caption. “I had such a blast with this stunt team!” She also called outher appreciation for her stunt double, Yulia, who could be heard during the clip telling her to “crank it” and “always reminding me to be aggressive AF,” as Holland put it. It’s pretty easy to see Yulia’s influence on Holland in the final product, as the finished scene has definitely upped the brutality factor compared to this rehearsal.
Peacemakerstars Cenaas the rather directionless titular vigilante, who finds himself questioning his own convictions after the events ofThe Suicide Squad. Perhaps with his team, including Holland’s Harcourt, he can finally find the answers he’s looking for. But first, he’s got to deal with plenty of new threats under the watchful eye of Iwuji’s Murn, and only time will tell if he and his ragtag crew of people who occasionally know what they’re doing have the gumption to get it done. Naturally, as another James Gunn production, this one is wild, unhinged, and endlessly captivating.
Holland’s video is just one more indication of how much fun the cast ofPeacemakerseems to have had behind the scenes. Hopefully audience enthusiasm matches that of the actors and another season gets ordered. So far,Peacemakerhas apparently already beaten Marvelin many people’s eyes, so that’s a good start. At the very least, how about a look at the rehearsals for that already legendary opening credits sequence?
