"Peacemaker"'s Jennifer Holland on Doing the Majority of Her Own Stunts: 'Can't Tell You How Much Pain I Was In' (Exclusive) Colleen KratofilAugust 23, 2025 at 5:13 AM Katie Yu/HBO Max; Ron Adar/Shutterstock Jennifer Holland in 'Peacemaker' season 1; at the 'Peacemaker' premiere on Aug.
- - "Peacemaker"'s Jennifer Holland on Doing the Majority of Her Own Stunts: 'Can't Tell You How Much Pain I Was In' (Exclusive)
Colleen KratofilAugust 23, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Katie Yu/HBO Max; Ron Adar/Shutterstock
Jennifer Holland in 'Peacemaker' season 1; at the 'Peacemaker' premiere on Aug. 13, 2025
HBO Max's hit series Peacemaker is back — and so is Jennifer Holland as Harcourt.
The show, which follows the DC Universe's Peacemaker, an egotistical vigilante played by John Cena, introduced a whole new dimensional twist in the season 2 premiere but still had plenty of jokes, fighting and of course, dancing.
"We're doing the weirdest things," Holland says of the show's famous opening sequence. The 37-year-old plays Emilia Harcourt, an agent from the lack ops squad, A.R.G.U.S., who immediately shows off her skills in the season 2 premiere episode beating up men three times her size in a nasty bar brawl.
In an exclusive conservation with PEOPLE, Holland opens up about what it takes to make those scenes happen.
"I wanted her to look like she could really beat up large men because she does that a lot this season," Holland says of Harcourt. "I'm a very petite person, so I wanted to make sure that it looked real."
Katie Yu/ HBO Max Jennifer Holland, Chukwudi Iwuji, Steve Agee, John Cena, Danielle Brooks in 'Peacemaker'
The first thing she did was work out with a trainer. Her goal before filming season 1 was to look like someone who was able to fight. "In season 1, coming out of COVID, I was carrying a little bit of extra weight than I normally do, I ate a little bit more Pop-Tarts than I normally would in life when I was sitting at home," she says.
This time around, she also wanted to look like someone who had almost died (referencing the dramatic finale when A.R.G.U.S. had to take down an alien invasion), and someone who "wants to go even further to protect herself, I guess, and to not be vulnerable."
Holland explains that she has an "incredible" stunt double who flips through the air and gets thrown across the room, but since Holland takes a lot of the hits in fighting scenes, she rehearses for weeks on scene choreography. "It was really important to me, for me to be able to do a majority of the fights," she says.
"I just can't tell you how much pain I was in after we did all of this stuff," she admits, but adds, "I had such a great time working with that stunts team specifically on this season."
She loves the ability to mix acting with physicality in this role. In fact, it's what she wants to do more of in her career. "I would love to do a full-on action film," she shares.
HBO Max
Jennifer Holland, John Cena in 'Peacemaker' season 2
"When Frank Grillo told me that I was one of the best women he's ever seen do an action sequence in episode 1, and he looked at me and he said, 'I'm serious. You need to seek out a script and you need to go do this because you found something that you're really good at.' And so I was like, 'Alright, Frank Grillo, I think you're onto something there. I would love to do that.'"
While she teases the upcoming episodes will be a "really shocking, fun ride," she says she didn't know just how much Harcourt could "level up" in season 2. "I love my character this season," she says. "I love her so much."
As for what's next for Harcourt, she fully supports whatever creator James Gunn (who also happens to be her real-life husband) dreams up. "I trust James a hundred percent," she says of working with Gunn on set. "I just know he knows what he's trying to get."
Holland says they rarely let their personal and professional lives mix, and both just focus on their work when they're on a job.
"It's not really any different than if I was working with another director," she shares. "I guess it's really nice that we have a shorthand. For me, I appreciate feeling like I have that support of someone who both appreciates my opinion and accepts that I'm really devoted to the character and will listen to me, but also just really knows what they want. It gives you a freedom to feel like you have that support under you."
New episodes of Peacemaker air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
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