Passive voice. Reading Linda Smith

Award	Decision to give something to somebody as a prize
Expertise	Expert knowledge or skill
To turn over	To move so that a different side faces outwards or upwards
To drag	To pull somebody or something along with effort and difficulty
Wire	Metal that has been formed into a thin flexible thread-like rod
Stunt woman	Person who does dangerous things in place of an actor in a film
Hair raising	Terrifying
To unzip	To unfasten clothes, baggage, etc with a zip (device for bringing together or separating two rows of metal or plastic)
Crew	Group of people working together
Groom	Person in charge of horses
Tip	Small sum of money given to a waiter, taxi-driver, etc.
Side-saddle	Saddle for a woman rider made so that both legs can be on the same side of the horse
Guild	Society of people with similar interests and aims
To assess	To estimate the quality of something
To work out	To calculate
To pad	To fill or cover something with soft material in order to protect it
To bear in mind	To remember that
Rib	Any of the 12 pairs of curved bones extending from the backbone round the chest in humans
Bruises	Injury discolouring the skin but not breaking it
To knock down	To demolish
Wig	Covering for the head made of real or artificial hair
Bonnet	Hinged cover over the engine of a motor vehicle
To tear	To pull something forcibly apart or away or to pieces
Flesh	Soft substance between the skin and bones of animal bodies consisting of muscle and fat
Cheekbone	Bone below the eye
Jaw	Either of the bone structures containing the teeth
Providing	On the condition or understanding that
To get on with	To continue, To make progress
Outdated	Old-fashioned, out of date
Concerned	Worried
To carry out	To do something as required Interviewer Now, Linda Smith is to be presented with a "Women in film and television" award for specialist expertise. Her speciality involves jumping off office blocks and turning over cars. She's been dragged behind a speedboat and had a fight on a cable car 5,000 feet above Rio de Janeiro, with no safety wire. She is a stuntwoman. Some people would say "You're crazy, Linda". How did you do that, on the cable car, with no wire? Linda At first when we got up there, it was a bit hair-raising because you looked down into the harbour and all you could see were the boats, which looked like little matchboxes. But after a while ... The technician had been told to move the cable car at normal speed. At first the man didn't want to move it at all because he was frightened of us falling off, but he got used to it and, once you're up there, it's just like you're sitting in a room. And I used to sunbathe up there between shots. I had a black suit on and I used to unzip it and have a bikini underneath. I know sometimes I was being watched by the camera crew, but I just ignored them! Interviewer And you can actually look down and not be completely frozen with vertigo? Linda Well, I wouldn't ever be hired if that was the case! Interviewer Well, you are welcome to your job. I really don't envy you. How did you become a stunt woman? Linda My parents used to supply horses and carriages for films and I used to go as a child, looking after the horses, and I was sometimes given a tip to hold the horses for the actors and make sure they were comfortable. And then I would teach them little things, and I was asked to ride side-saddle, then to fall off as part of a stunt and it started like that. Then a stunt guild was set up, which I joined. I took up judo, trampolining, karate, sort of a bit of everything really, and that's how I got into the business. Interviewer What's the most important thing you need to know to stay safe? Linda Every stunt has to be assessed and worked out to be the safest it can be. That's why it's a stunt. That's why you are being paid to do it and the actresses are not exposed to any risks. Sometimes you can pad up, sometimes you can't. Most of the time pads can't be used on the girls because they're usually in dresses; they can be used on men because they wear suits and they can put loads of body pads on. Interviewer So you're at even more risk than the men. Now your injury list is, I think, spectacular. Linda No, bearing in mind all the years I've been doing it, it's quite unspectacular. But I fell off a bridge without pads when the safety wire hadn't been fixed properly. I ended up with a cracked vertebrae, a broken rib or two and covered in bruises, but I was back working within eight weeks. Interviewer And you were once knocked over rather badly, weren't you? Linda I made a car knock-down, and I hadn't been given a wig because my hair was the same as the actress's, so I agreed to do it without padding my head. Usually I pad up under a wig. I got knocked out when I hit the windscreen, and then I went up onto the roof, back onto the bonnet, and then just fell off the car, but I was already unconscious. I broke my ankle, and tore all the tendons in my hand, took all the flesh off over my cheekbone, my jaw and knocked a tooth out. Other than that... Interviewer My goodness... What kind of relationship do you develop with the person that you're doubling for? Linda Well, in most cases, especially if you're on location, you get very friendly with your double and you go out for dinner, you know. So lots of them are good friends now and we visit each other at home. Interviewer What happens if you have to double for actresses who are a totally different shape to you? Linda If the actress is taller, it really doesn't matter providing you aren't working with the other actors, or, if you are, you are sometimes given a box to stand on if it's only a question of saying your line face to face with the actor and then diving off the bridge for example. If you're quite slim, you can double anyone really. I have also received classes on basic character acting to be able to imitate the gestures of the actress that I am doubling. Interviewer Stunt artists, even the ones who are well-known in the industry, like yourself, often don't even appear in the credits at the end of the film. Do you envy the glamorous actresses that you stand in for? Linda No, I've always been asked if I wouldn't rather be the actress? And I always say, "Well, I drive into the studio in a nice car, while some of the actresses get off the bus and walk in. And I love just being able to get on with my life without being asked for autographs all the time". Interviewer So there's a lot of money in this game? Linda There is if you're one of the top ones. Yes, there is, but some of the girls starting in this business today are going to find it hard to make a living out of it because there are so much competition right now. Interviewer Computers represent further competition, don't they? Linda Yes, my husband says I'll be outdated, obsolete in time, but not in my time. I won't really be affected, so I'm not too concerned. Interviewer Is there any chance that the technology will get so good that stunt people will be replaced by it? Linda Well, there'll still be the little stunts which are impossible to substitute as far as I can see, but anything big, where you could earn quite a bit of money, they will be carried out by computers, yes, they will. Interviewer How does your family react to you going out risking your life all the time? Linda I never used to tell my mother, really, I just said, "Oh I'm just riding a horse today mum." And then she happened to see the programme Amazing Stunts on TV; she's not usually very talkative but she didn't speak to me for a week after seeing the programme! She just couldn't believe I was being run over by a car in flames. Interviewer And what does your husband have to say about your chosen profession? Linda Well, he always just says "drive carefully honey" when I leave for work. Interviewer Well, that's a good piece of advice for a stunt actress! What is Linda Smith's job? ...................................... Why did she have a bikini underneath her black suit? ...................................... Who was she being watched by while she was sunbathing? ...................................... Does she suffer from vertigo? ...................................... Why can't women often pad up? ...................................... What happened to her when she fell off a car? ...................................... Does she get on well with the person she has to double? ...................................... Would she like to be famous like an actress? ...................................... What does Linda think about technology? ...................................... What does her husband tell her when she leaves for work? Interviewer Now, Linda Smith is to ........... presented with a 'Women in film and television' award for specialist expertise. Her speciality involves jumping ........... office blocks and turning ........... cars. She's been dragged behind a speedboat and had a fight on a cable car 5,000 ........... above Rio de Janeiro, with no safety ........... . She is a stuntwoman. Some ........... would say 'You're crazy, Linda'. How did you do that, on the cable car, with no ...........? Linda At first when we got up there, it was a bit hair-...........  because you looked ........... into the harbour and all you could ........... were the boats, which looked like little matchboxes. But after a while ... The ........... had been told to move the cable car at normal speed. At first the man didn't want to move ........... at all because he was frightened of us falling ..........., but he got used to it and, once you're up ..........., it's just like you're sitting in a room. And I used to sunbathe up there ........... shots. I had a black suit on and I used to unzip it and have a bikini ........... . I know sometimes I was being watched by the camera ..........., but I just ignored them! Interviewer And you can actually look down and not be completely frozen with ...........? Linda Well, I wouldn't ever be hired if that was the ...........! Interviewer Well, you are welcome to your job. I really don't envy you. How did you become a stunt ...........? Linda My parents used to supply horses and carriages for films and I ........... to go as a child, looking after the ..........., and I was sometimes given a tip to hold the horses for the actors and make sure they were ........... . And then I would teach them little things, and I was asked to ride side..........., then to fall off as part of a stunt and it started like that. Then a stunt guild was set ..........., which I joined. I took up judo, trampolining, karate, ........... of a bit of everything really, and that's how I got into the business. Interviewer What's the most important thing you need to know to stay ...........? Linda Every stunt has to be assessed and worked ........... to be the safest it can be. That's why it's a stunt. That's why you are being ........... to do it and the actresses are not exposed to any ........... . Sometimes you can pad up, sometimes you can't. Most of the time ........... can't be used on the girls because they're usually in dresses; they can be used on men because they wear ........... and they can put loads of body pads ........... . Interviewer So you're at even more ........... than the men. Now your injury list is, I think, spectacular. Linda No, bearing in mind all the years I've been doing it, it's quite unspectacular. But I fell off a bridge ........... pads when the safety wire hadn't been fixed ........... . I ended up with a cracked vertebrae, a ........... rib or two and covered in bruises, but I was back working ........... eight weeks. Interviewer And you were once knocked over rather badly, weren't you? Linda I made a car knock-down, and I hadn't been given a wig because my hair was the ........... as the actress's, so I agreed to do it without padding my head. Usually I pad up under a wig. I got knocked ........... when I hit the windscreen, and then I went up ........... the roof, back onto the bonnet, and then just fell off the car, but I was already ........... . I broke my ankle, and tore all the tendons in my hand, took all the flesh off over my cheekbone, my jaw and knocked a tooth ........... . Other than that... Interviewer My goodness... What kind of relationship do you develop with the person that you're ........... for? Linda Well, in most cases, especially if you're on ..........., you get very friendly with your double and you go out for ..........., you know. So lots of them are good friends now and we visit each ........... at home. Interviewer What happens if you have to double for ........... who are a totally different shape to you? Linda If the actress is ..........., it really doesn't matter providing you aren't working with the other actors, or, if you are, you are sometimes ........... a box to stand on if it's only a question of saying your line face to ........... with the actor and then diving off the bridge for example. If you're quite slim, you can ........... anyone really. I have also received classes on basic character acting to be able to ........... the gestures of the actress that I am doubling. Interviewer Stunt artists, even the ones who are well-known in the ..........., like yourself, often don't even appear in the credits at the end of the ........... . Do you envy the ........... actresses that you stand in for? Linda No, I've always been asked if I wouldn't rather be the actress? And I always say, 'Well, I drive into the studio in a nice car, while some of the actresses get off the bus and walk in. And I love just being able to get on with my ........... without being asked for ........... all the time' Interviewer So there's a lot of money in this game? Linda There is if you're one of the top ones. Yes, there is, but some of the girls starting in this ........... today are going to find it hard to make a living out of it because there are so much competition right now. Interviewer Computers represent further competition, don't they? Linda Yes, my husband says I'll be outdated, obsolete in time, but not in my time. I won't really be affected, so I'm not ........... concerned. Interviewer Is there any chance that the ........... will get so good that stunt people will be replaced by it? Linda Well, there'll still be the little stunts which are impossible to substitute as far ........... I can see, but anything big, where you could ............ quite a bit of money, they will be carried out by computers, yes, they will. Interviewer How does your family react to you going out risking your ........... all the time? Linda I never used to tell my mother, really, I just said, 'Oh I'm just riding a horse today mum.' And then she happened to see the ........... Amazing Stunts on TV; she's not usually very talkative but she didn't ........... to me for a week after seeing the programme! She just couldn't believe I was being run ........... by a car in flames. Interviewer And what does your husband have to say about your chosen ...........? Linda Well, he always just says 'drive ........... honey' when I leave for work. Interviewer Well, that's a good piece of ........... for a stunt actress!