Mortal Kombat II’s Tati Gabrielle Had to Swing a 6 ft. Bo. Here’s How She Trained For Her Role.

Actor Tati Gabrielle has a black belt in karate, and still had to put in the work to play ninja Jade in the video-game-turned-movie-sequel Mortal Kombat II (out now). Much of that training involved mastering the bo staff, a traditional weapon measuring in at a commanding 6 ft. in length.

“I had experience with the bo staff years ago, but had not worked with one more recently—and with such weight,” Tati explains in the latest episode of the video series Well Said. “They let me take a practice bo home, and getting the moves right, getting my spins right, trying to make everything in a straight line, was pretty intense.”

Unsurprisingly, Tati’s high level of dedication warranted plenty of rest and recovery—for both her body and mind.

“Working with the bo staff was a lot of stress on my shoulders,” she says. “I would go see an osteo pretty frequently.”

Once the cameras stopped rolling, Tati also spent quality time with co-star Adeline Rudolph—a bond she says helped keep her in a good headspace.

“I think that our minds are just as important as our bodies,” Tati says. “[Addie and I] would make a point to, at the end of every day, come together and sort of decompress together—talk about the day, whatever stressed us out, whatever were our most exciting moments… Because some days were challenging. I think that really kept us up and kept our minds right.”

Indeed, there truly is nothing quite like an after-work yap sesh—whether you’re a 9-to-5-er or thwack fictional baddies for a living.

To hear more about Tati’s wellness rituals—including what her perfect self-care day would look like (hint: it involves sparring!)—click play on the episode of Well Said above.

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