My Account
Falling from great heights, crashing into walls and slaying dragons is all in a day’s work for stuntwoman Tineke Robson, of Matakana. Despite some major roles in feature films such as Justice League, the 38-year-old believes she is now a stronger version of her younger self and her best work is still ahead of her. She has come a long way from the girl who was down and out on the streets of London, searching for a reason to live, as she relates to editor Jannette Thompson …
It’s hard to look back at that time because I really did hit rock bottom. My marriage was over and I felt like a terrible failure. I walked the streets for days, sleeping rough and just praying to God to show me a reason why I shouldn’t throw myself in the Thames. But I’m not a quitter, so eventually I found a place in a hostel and got a job in a bar paying £6.50 an hour. I got in touch with people I knew and they encouraged me to remember who I was. Importantly, they told me to get back into acting, and that was the turning point. I had just turned 30 and in some ways, that’s when my life really started. I was passionate about acting – I still am – and that is what kept me going.
I was born in Wellington but my Dutch mother took me back to the Netherlands when I was three. We lived in the port city of IJmuiden, in northern Holland, a town that straddles the mouth of the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam. Primary school was really tough for kids like me who were a little bit different. I was sensitive and imaginative, and very shy, so to deal with the bullying, I played sport. I did gymnastics and horse riding, played badminton, football and hockey, and skated and swam. I competed in national gymnastic competitions until, sadly, growing pains meant I started getting injured too often.
The other thing that I discovered as a child was theatre. I was nine when I played a cowgirl in Annie Get Your Gun. When the audience applauded at the end of the play I was hooked so after finishing school, I joined a dance academy in Tilburg and did a four-year Bachelor of Performing Arts. There was lots of jazz, ballet and tap, but we also learned singing and drama. It was a demanding curriculum and our teachers weren’t particularly sympathetic if you were injured or unwell. It taught me to focus and push through the pain and exhaustion. After graduating, I was involved in a small production company doing the choreography, as well as appearing in the shows and being an understudy.
As a child, I’d always felt something was missing in my life, like there was a big empty hole inside of me. I never really felt “at home” in the Netherlands and this feeling of longing intensified as I got older. Eventually, I decided to follow my heart and return to the place where I was born. I spent two months travelling without a set itinerary. I just went with the flow and learned to be present in the moment. I discovered nature and immersed myself in NZ, soaking up the sun, the air and the beauty. It became very clear to me that this was home; this was where I was meant to be.
I returned to the Netherlands and handed in my notice. My first job in NZ was at the Blue Baths in Rotorua, where I performed in a 1930s-style dinner show and met an English guy who I eventually married. I thought it would be forever, but by the time we moved to Auckland the marriage was already in trouble. Finally, we decided to go travelling indefinitely in the hope of saving it. We sold or gave away everything we owned, and for the next three months backpacked through America and Peru, but it didn’t help the relationship. When we got to the UK I realised I needed to get out, so I left him and moved to London.
While I was married, I’d let my husband run his business under my name because he was still a British citizen. Unbeknown to me, he hadn’t been paying his tax and this came out after we separated. He refused to contribute to the debt, so a lot of what I earned during my four years in London went to Inland Revenue in NZ. As well as the bar work, I got a few roles in some short films, and then a friend encouraged me to sign with an ‘extras’ agency. I was hesitant at first because I didn’t see myself as an ‘extra’, but the agency did super action films. That’s how I got to audition for the movie Justice League, directed by Zack Snyder. I became one of the 16 Amazons of Wonder Woman and for three months, we buffed up with Hollywood trainer Mark Twight. We also learned archery, and did spear, sword and sword and shield training. As the body double for Connie Nielsen, who played Wonder Woman’s mother in the movie, I also got to ride a horse. That was my introduction to stunt work and I loved it.
When Justice League finished, a friend who knew I wanted to return to NZ told me that Pumphouse Theatre in Takapuna was re-doing Pippi Longstocking. I’d played Pippi at the Pumphouse during my first stay in NZ and loved it. It is my all-time favourite role. I emailed the producer/director Tim Bray to ask him to consider me for the role. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I got the message that they wanted me back – I was so excited. I booked my ticket home that night. There’s something magical about Pippi – I could play that role for the rest of my life.
At the end of the season at the Pumphouse, I signed with an agent which lead to a role in Tender Trap with Rima Te Wiata, and then the play A Real Goodbye, directed by Geoff Allen. Then I started training for stunts with Dayna Grant, who started her career as the double for Xena. It was through Dayna that I got a fulltime stunt role in the horror feature film Evil Dead Rise, which will be released in April. It was shot almost entirely in Mount Wellington and I can’t say much about it other than I am the stunt double of Alyssa Sutherland, who played Queen Aslaug in Vikings. The role involved lots of wire and harness work – I never thought making a horror movie could be so much fun! Acting can be a bit hand-to-mouth at times, so I’ve recently started working for NZ Diving in Warkworth. It ties in well with my stunt work as I’d love to do water stunts one day. I’m doing free diving as well as scuba diving, working up to be a dive master and maybe instructor. It is also flexible enough to still allow me time for the acting roles when they come along. Days on set can start early and end late.
It’s the training and fitness that gives you the confidence to do the stunts, and apart from a few bruises, I’ve never been injured. When I’m working I have incredible focus and I won’t start a stunt until I am 100 per cent sure I am ready to go. I imagine doing the stunt over and over again so I feel confident when I actually do it. It’s great when you have a team around you who understand this process and give you the time. One of the things I love about film-making and theatre is that you get that family feeling and, if you’re lucky, you have fun and make something exciting together.
I think my best stunt is still ahead of me. I’m fitter now than when I was dancing fulltime and I pay a lot more attention to what I eat, and I know when I need to rest and recover. It’s a mindset as well. Often what you think becomes reality, so I’ve learned to be cautious with my thoughts. At the end of last year I was doing nearly an audition a week, but I didn’t land any of the jobs. I’ve learned not to take rejection personally – it just means that I wasn’t right for that particular role. That’s why the diving has been so good because it has given me more financial stability. I also feel very content and happy here in Matakana where I can walk on the beach at Omaha, feed my chickens and mow the lawn. These simple things feel like a gift and I am so grateful.
