It was 1989, and the local horse shows south of Seattle were abuzz. One of the Northwest’s own was in the big new Patrick Swayze movie, Road House. (I was like, Wait, what? You can just leave?) Not many people find their way out of Kent, Washington, but Julie Michaels did, thanks in large part to her training as a martial artist.
Michaels and her husband, Peewee Piemonte, were recently nominated for an Emmy for their stunt coordination work on the CBS show SEAL Team. It was a pleasure to talk to them about the art of fighting on film and how they made their way into the stunt world, especially getting a chance to speak with the woman from my small hometown who made good.