How Gabriela Mclain Turned The Cast Of 'The Woman King' Into Warriors?

The Woman King is a historical movie released in September 2022 starring Viola Davis. The film is about a young woman named Agojie, who trains the next generation of warrior women to fight in West Africa during the 17th century.

The movie is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who also directed Beyond the Lights and The Secret Life of Bees. The screenplay was written by Dana Stevens, who also wrote the screenplay for The Legend of Tarzan. It stars Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, and Sheila Atim.

Movie studio Sony hired personal trainer and lifestyle coach Gabriela McLain, who has twenty years of experience, to teach the actresses the moves of authentic warriors. McLain, originally from the Czech Republic, fell in love with dancing and danced professionally for pop legend Madonna.

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How The Cast Of The Woman King Trains?

Davis trained with Mclain for four years before getting the lead role in "Fences." According to Gabriela McLain, Davis was determined not to fake her character on-screen.

"I want you to turn them into warriors inside and out," the film's director said to her.

To prepare for playing the character, Atim and Lynch went through an intense training regimen. Mclain was brought on as a lead instructor and nutritionist so she could work with all cast members

To ensure that the women get accustomed to challenging their bodies every day, Gabriel Mclain kept the same exercise regimen for four months with recovery sessions in between. Viola Davis trained for four months, running one hour and thirty minutes every day. She also worked out two to three hours a day in martial arts conditioning, depending on the day.

Davis said she worked out with a mixture of heavyweights, and also incorporated agility training.

"I always start with the legs," she explains.

Davis says that she always works out with a combination of heavy and light weights to build bulk and thickness, but also to maintain her speed and agility for punching and swinging.

She also used genetic testing to determine how people's bodies metabolize macronutrients for their muscles, tendons, and ligaments. She then created customized diet plans based on everyone's body type.

Mclain worked with a chef in South Africa to come up with nutritious and delicious ideas for their meals. The woman king actresses were not allowed sugar treats like cake, but instead were given an avocado chocolate mousse that helped them keep their energy levels up.

They complained about this at first, but once they saw the benefits of eating clean, they started to enjoy the new diet plan. This is what led to their incredible performance, as well as their lean bodies, powerful fight scenes and intense expressions.

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Wrapping Up

There's no question that the women in The Woman King put everything into their performances, and a lot of that can be traced back to their amazing physical transformation.

But it's safe to say that the time, effort and money director Gina Prince-Bythewood invested in establishing these key details to make her vision paid off. It may have been the key ingredient in making The Woman King such an outstanding film overall.