Zoe Bell weighs in on Oscars stunt debate

Zoe Bell went from stunt woman to actress in Quentin Tarantino's new film The Hateful Eight.

Kiwi actress Zoe Bell has an "old school" view on the debate surrounding stunt people and the Oscars.

On Wednesday she walked the red carpet in Auckland with director Quentin Tarantino at a New Zealand premiere for their movie, The Hateful Eight.

She weighed in on a new petition, which aimed to see an Academy Award introduced specifically for stunt people.

"They are the ones putting their lives on the line for the glory of getting that thrilling and breathtaking shot," the petition reads.

"Those are the shots that are used to promote the movies, which drive people into the box offices to see those carefully designed action sequences."

While 3462 people have already signed up to show their support, Bell was in two minds as to whether it should go ahead.

"I kind of have mixed opinions about it because I am definitely all for people who deserve the recognition, getting the recognition," she said.

"I think our department, or I guess my past department, is responsible for so many mind-blowing scenes, and memorable scenes, and historic scenes that should be recognised.

"But I am also a little bit old school and part of me feels part of the beauty of being a stunt person is that no one knows it's you."

The stunt woman turned actress plays Six Horse Judy in The Hateful Eight.

Bell began her career at the age of 17 behind the scenes on Xena: Warrior Princess, before landing work on major Hollywood films such as Kill Bill, Catwoman and Grindhouse.

- nzherald.co.nz