Supermodel Doutzen Kroes on Doing Her Own Stunts in ‘Wonder Woman’: ‘It Was So Empowering’

Doutzen Kroes is one of the hardest working models in the biz—not only on the runway, but in the gym, where she mixes ballet and boxing to keep herself super-fit. But to do her own stunts for her role as horseback-riding Amazon Venelia in this summer’s mega-smash Wonder Woman, she had to undergo a totally new kind of training. “I did much more cardio and strength training than I usually do,” Kroes told Glamour. Plus, she rode horses, wielded weapons, and basically got to be totally badass. She gave Glamour the inside scoop on her role.

“I was a fan of Wonder Woman growing up—I loved the fact that she was as strong and as smart as Superman,” Kroes says. So when her London agent told her the casting director was looking for women to play the Amazons, Kroes immediately wanted to audition (and luckily was able to squeeze the filming into her packed modeling schedule!). Once she signed on, the production team found out that she grew up riding horses, a key part of the role. “I was able to do my own riding, and had several weeks of combat and weapons training for the scenes on the beach,” she says. “I’ve always ridden horses, but learning to handle a sword at a full gallop was pretty intense. But I loved every minute of it!”

To prep for the fight scenes, Kroes did group combat training with the rest of the cast, whom she says gave her guidance and direction on incorporating fight moves into her exercise routine. All the training paid off too, she says: “[That] battle scene was so incredibly empowering to do. When I saw it [in the finished film], it took my breath away. It gave me goose bumps.”

Kroes is aware of the huge impact that the film is having on young audiences, especially young female ones. (The model is a mom to daughter, Myllena, three, and son, Phyllon, six). “My daughter is only three and really looks up to my son, so I think she will love seeing the movie because if her brother likes something, she does too,” she says of Myllena someday seeing the film. “They were with me in Italy where we filmed all of the Paradise Island scenes, and I wish I had a photo of my son’s reaction when he saw me in full Amazon battle gear! He was awestruck and seemed so proud that his mommy was a warrior.”

Since the movie is inspiring women everywhere, we had to ask Kroes what superhero name she would choose for herself. Her answer? “I would be ‘The Peacekeeper,’ since that’s what my name means!” Gotta love a superhero who tries to make peace, right?