Skater Stories: Breelie Taylor
From standing in for Margot Robbie to competing in a bubble to being a princess for Disney On Ice, Breelie has had quite a journey in this sport.
Even before joining Disney On Ice, former competitive ice dancer Breelie Taylor had experience becoming someone else. She was a skating stand-in for the movie “I, Tonya” as at 5-foot-6 she was the perfect height to double the movie’s star, Margot Robbie. She’s now touring with Disney On Ice: Into the Magic, but took some time between tour stops to chat with me about her journey, what skating for Disney On Ice is like, and being yelled at by the Winter Soldier (on screen, not in real life!).
Q: I want to start all the way back at the beginning. How did you get your start in skating?
A: My mom really just liked figure skating. On a few dates she went skating and said, "Oh, I'm gonna have my kids do this." So when I was about three, my parents took me and my sisters to the Chattanooga Choo Choo to learn how to skate. And then about three months after that, that ice rink closed. So, I didn't have home ice for very long. Then we went to Atlanta for Learn to Skate classes, but we really didn't start training until I was about 11.
Q: You were three, so you probably don't remember too much, but what do you remember about those early years, like the feeling of stepping on the ice for the first time?
A: I was a huge ice walker, so I was like, "this is just a walk around the park." I was just a little kid walking around. I didn't like the boards all that much. My older sister, she liked the boards a lot. But I was like, "I don't need boards." Actually, one of my earliest memories would have to be my younger sister. She wasn't old enough to skate yet. And we were in Gatlinburg, in one of those mall ice rinks that has multiple levels to the mall. And I remember my little sister sticking her head through a railing and getting it stuck there. And I was like, "Well, I'm gonna go march around now," while my grandparents were scrambling with mall security to get her fat little head unstuck.
But, I don't really recall the feeling of, I guess, a first glide. There's definitely moments where it's like, "ooh, my sister hasn't learned a Mohawk yet, but I can do a Mohawk." My sister, I loved her, I idolized her, so I was like, "I can do something she can't." So it was a great day for me.
Q: Now, did you have any skating inspirations growing up? Any skaters that you watched and you're like, "Oh, I want to be her?"
A: Really, this is a very typical answer, but Michelle Kwan, and Sasha Cohen, I just loved them, like, Sasha Cohen was so fun. My parents, in 2004 when they had nationals in Atlanta, they got us tickets, we went to watch. And for those skaters that I just adored, you know, Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan, this is when they were still competing.
I fell asleep! So... got to miss some great performances because I wanted a nap. But, yeah, so I remember them, and then Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. They were just so exciting for me to watch. And when I was younger, I wanted to be a pair girlie, so, so bad. But I grew. I was 5-foot-6 by the time I was 13. So the dreams of that left pretty quickly, at least competitively.
Q: We'll circle back to your competitive career, but I want to know, what made you want to join Disney On Ice?
A: Well, we had gone a few times when we were kids. You know, your parents take you. The first Disney On Ice show I vividly remember watching was High School Musical On Ice. We had been to a few before then as well, but I just remember going, "Oh, my goodness, this is so cool." And I had had a few coaches that had been with Disney, and I just love Disney movies as well. Disney World, you name it. Big fan, love. When I was in my tween years, I didn't maybe love the princess thing so much, because I was like, "I'm not like the other girls. I'm worse."
But then I got older and just really had an appreciation for it. Then I'd had so many coaches that were, like, "say the word, and I'll give you my reference." One of my coaches, Sue Wagner, she was a principal performer with Disney. And she was like, "say the word." Another one, Cindy, I think, can't remember her last name, but they were like, "say the word, and we'll make a call to the director." And I was like, "Okay, great."
I wanted to go when I was 18, like, straight out of the gate, but I'm actually really glad I didn't, because if I went when I was 18, I wouldn't have had my competitive career. So, inspired by the coaches, and I had friends as well that went to join the company, and I was like, "That looks like so much fun." It just looked so cool, because I loved the spring shows that my club would put on, much more than I enjoyed competing. I was like, "Oh, this is just a fun environment. I would love it."
Q: Now, I know there's probably no such thing as a typical day during a Disney On Ice season, but what does a day look like for you as a skater?
A: Okay, so it definitely depends on where I'm at mentally. For a day off, if we are in an interesting city, I'll usually get together with my little friend group or send a message to the ladies group and see who's up for doing this or that. I have a lot of friends that love to plan, and they just go, "Hey, are you free today? Do you want to go do this?" So most of my days usually are pretty unplanned if it's on a day off. We'll go to a coffee shop, a museum, anything that is locally cool. So when we were in Tupelo, I believe Elvis was born there. So we go, see the local sites, because that's a big perk of the job, getting to see places that you wouldn't normally see. I like to have dinner anywhere, but there's nothing like dinner and a movie in your room. And unwinding. I'll usually crochet as well. I'll have multiple projects going on all at once, somehow managing to finish none of them, but it gives me something to do.
And then I would say a work day, what that looks like, so let's say it's an opening day. That's usually Thursday, Friday, sometimes Wednesday, if you're Jump In! [Ed. Note: Before the interview we were talking about my personal DOI travel schedule this season and I mentioned that there's one week in November where Jump In! Is doing a Wednesday-Sunday engagement in New York]... wake up. I'll check the schedule the night before. It's usually not too early unless we've got an a.m. opening, but on opening days, we typically don't. So wake up, get my meal from the fridge. We'll shower, get my hair done, not hair done, gracious. Style my hair, which is just me putting in leave-in conditioner and calling it a day. Skincare, I won't put any makeup on when I'm going into work, just because I know I've got a lot to put on later. Go to the venue.
Since I'm on the Silk Team, we go in a little bit earlier, pick out makeup spots, get everything set up in the costume rooms, making sure everything's how it should be. Do a little warm up, go have silk ice, which is one of my favorite things ever. Getting to fly is just unimaginably fun, especially, I don't mind heights, so it's good for me. I feel like if you had an issue with heights, it maybe wouldn't be as fun, but I am so blessed to be able to do it. And then, after that, we'll have usually a 30-minute break while they're resurfacing ice, and then we'll have a pairs warm up ice. I'll go with Damian, my partner, and we'll get all of our tricks warmed up for the week. So anything that we could use in numbers or anything that we're gonna use in understudies, we usually do it then, and then sign up for an open-ice session later in the week to practice some things, upkeeping our normal things and then trying some new ones. And we'll have class, which is always so fun. Sometimes we'll have different people teach class. You can always volunteer and say, "Hey, I have some ideas."
And everyone does those exercises just to get ready for the week, and kind of feel the ice, because every surface of ice is different. There's always an adjustment period, whether your brain recognizes it or not. Usually, I do it and I whine. I'm like, "Oh, that ice feels weird." But you don't really get the luxury of it being any different. The only time I can genuinely complain about the ice is when it's soupy, when it's super duper wet. And then I go, "Make the ice colder," and they will. Because usually, in Anastasia, I fall a lot [Ed. note: It's part of the choreography]. And when the ice is super duper wet, then it's a costume issue, and I'm also super duper wet. Which maybe isn't their first priority, but it's definitely mine.
After we have had class and everything, all of us will go do our makeup, and then once makeup's done, we'll warm up for the show. The show will happen, hopefully, without a hitch. And then I just love to I usually have my dinner before the show, just because I'm so lazy after the show that I won't have the energy to make it afterwards or order anything afterwards unless someone is very kind to me and is like, "Hey, do you want to add anything to my Uber Eats?" I'd be like, "Ooh, goody, great." But yeah, so go home, rinse off, put on the largest pajamas I own, and just decompress, play on my phone for a little bit, and just knock out. So that's the usual, like, opening work day. Nothing too crazy, just a gentle opening is usually what we have, which is very kind.
Q: And once you get past opening, you get to the weekend, you throw in Saturdays, where you have three shows in a day. What is that like?
A: That one is kind of like a marathon. You really have to learn how to budget your energy. When I first came to shows, I had no clue how to do that, so I would wipe myself out in the first two shows of the day, and then I'd get to the third one and just be like, "How am I meant to do this?" Um, I'd do it,'cause Mama didn't raise a quitter, but it's definitely learning to manage your energy. Between the shows, it's just a lot of conserving, eating what you need, listening to your body, and keeping the warm up less rigorous.
If I'm gonna do a workout, I'm definitely not gonna do it on a Saturday because my body's gonna give out. So usually, first show, I'm a morning person, so it usually feels pretty good, as long as it's not a 10:30 opening, which isn't that bad. I usually come in for open ice before the show, so then it makes my open ice at, like, 7:00 a.m. So, first show, usually pretty good. The second show slump is very real, because you're trying to conserve, but you still need to expend energy because you want everyone to have the best show possible. Because they came, they spent their money, they took the valuable time to come and watch us. And so you want everyone to have that same experience, but balancing that middle of the day slump is just kind of challenging, but like, you build up a resistance for it, and especially once you're touring for a nine-month tour, when you do it every single week, it gets easier. It's still fatiguing. It's still tiring, but it gets a lot easier.
When we're doing these engagements where it's one week on and then a few weeks off, a week on, a few weeks off, it's a bit hard to get into that rhythm. But once we get running on the tour in Europe, it'll be a lot easier. But by the time you're done with that third show, you are so ready to go to sleep. But it's really rewarding work. I enjoy being tired after having a long day like that, because I feel like I've done my job well. That's part of it, and I love it.
Q: Now, you mentioned the role of Anastasia, but you've played a lot of different roles with Disney On Ice. This might be an impossible question to answer, but do you have a favorite?
A: You know, it is really hard to pick a favorite because every character I've gotten to play has so many different character traits. It's so nuanced, but I really love a character study. I have only gotten to understudy Rapunzel once, but she was by far my favorite, just because she's more childlike. She's more excited. She can show that in different ways that some of our classic princesses don't. And I still love portraying our classics. Cinderella is just so near and dear to my heart, because she was the first character I ever got to understudy. Rapunzel's definitely my favorite, but of the classics Cinderella and Belle are just perfect.
Last season, I got to come back to understudying Cinderella. I didn't have a partner for about two seasons, just because I'm a tall lady. It's hard to partner me with somebody, because I have limited options, just because of my height. So, last season, I was partnered with Damian, and I got to revisit Cinderella for the first time in two years, and that carriage ride, like, tears. I was crying. It was just so magical to be back. in that classic princess. So even though Rapunzel is the most fun, and I would say my favorite, Cinderella is right there with her, just because of her significance to me and how much I love getting to visit her.
Q: Now, what is it like in that moment where you put the costume on, you put the makeup on, and you look at yourself in the mirror and you're like, "oh my God, I'm a Disney princess."
A: It is so unreal. And there's this special lighting in a quick change tent. I don't know what it is, but every time I walk into there to preset things and kind of get things settled, I'm like, "wow, this is crazy, 'cause it's not me anymore." But it's just so insane. I remember the first time trying on the costume, my first year, and I just was floored. I was like, "Oh, my goodness, it's coming together." It's so different when you run the programs, when you learn the segment, and do everything without costumes. You're like, "Yeah, this is what happens? This is what I'm gonna do?" And then you put the costume on, you put everything on, you have the makeup, and it just transforms it. It's like, "Wow, I am this person now." And it's so fun to put all of that work into it. It makes it so rewarding, and it's just such an unreal experience, getting to transform yourself into these characters to portray, for people that know and love them. They understand the stories, and they're so excited to see you, and it's just so heartwarming and incredibly rewarding. It's worth every minute of work we do to get there.
Q: Now, is there a character you haven't gotten to a portrait yet that you would really love to be able to someday?
A: Oh, yeah, I mean, you know, everybody wants it all. Like, I would love to do every character this company has to offer, but my niche childhood interest is Tinker Bell, and any of the fairies in that franchise. Disney On Ice used to have a fairy segment for Tinker Bell's release. It was only ever on one show with all of the fairies on it, but I want to be Tinker Bell so bad. I'm a tall woman. I just want it to happen one time. Tinker Bell was my heart song as a child. Like, the amount of fairy books I still have actively in my library is crazy. I learned to read with Tinker Bell's books. So she is my number one that I have not done yet. Really hoping that wish will come through for me one day. I know we have a few Tinker Bells that have been my height. But, right time, right place, right opening has to be there, and I totally understand that. But ooh, that is my big dream. Tinker Bell one day, please, just once, just just once.
Q: Now, I've been lucky enough to see you perform in person a few times, and one thing that has always stood out for me is that you seem to go out of your way to make each show really special for the audience, not just me, though I certainly appreciate it. What is it about those interactions that you enjoy so much?
A: People are always looking for connection. There are always different things that speak to everybody.. All of our choreography is the same every single show, but there are periods between the choreography where you get to go out and say hello to people or have a little wink, a little wave, whatever it is. I would like to say that I'm decent at reading people. When people are giving you a certain energy, it's impossible not to return it.
I love when we have these big groups of young Disney adults that just come, and they're so excited to be there, and they're just having the best time of their life, and it's impossible to not want to interact with that, because I love connecting with people, too. It's what makes this so special and so incredibly unique. So it's my favorite thing to do, and I feel really, really flattered that you noticed that because every show I try to do something a little bit different, that's not choreographed. Of course, all the choreographed things are typically the same. It has to be a very special moment for me to go out of the way.
Q: Now, one thing I learned in doing my research for the site and for all of these interviews is that Feld Entertainment is the largest employer of pro figure skaters in the world. I wanted to see if you could talk about what it means to have a company like that that is providing so many opportunities for skaters after their competitive careers or skaters who don't want to pursue competing at all.
A: It's so special. And like you mentioned, one of the largest employers of professional skaters in the world, because it is very neat. There aren't a lot of employable options -- you've got Busch Gardens and a lot of holiday shows -- but for year-round employment for this kind of thing, it's really hard to find. You also have Holiday on Ice, but that's usually in the winter months. But to have benefits and this company structure is just so incredibly unique, and I feel so blessed to be here because I joined right after COVID. I joined in 2021, right when Feld started touring again, and the performers that were affected by the shutdown and COVID, a lot of them didn't have the heart to come back. And also, they weren't sure it was going to stay open. There's so many variables and people had gone and started their lives more at home and just decided to stay there. It's hard to start your life at home and once you've got it going, you're like, "Let's just keep this. Let's keep it like this, because it's dependable."
There were a lot of spots open when I joined, so I was very blessed. I sent my resume, and my video reel, and I got an offer in 30 minutes, which is quite unusual, especially now. It was definitely right time, right place, which I am so blessed for, because there are hundreds and thousands of talented individuals that don't get to do what I do, that want to, but there's just simply not the spots, the space. And that's so that's so hard. But because of that, I feel even more lucky and blessed to just be here. It makes me appreciate my job even more. Even though they're the largest employer, it's still, I would say, less than a thousand people internationally that work professionally, not even with just Feld, but with all the other companies included.
A: You mentioned you joined in 2021. Right before that, you were still competing. You were a competitive ice dancer. You competed at juniors for a few years, competed at senior level 2020-21. I'm just curious. What do you remember most fondly from those years of competing?
Q: Lots of growth. It was so fun getting to come to these competitions because I did solo dance before I did. I started dancing with my partner, Tyler [Vollmer], when I was 18. I had just finished high school. Well, I was graduating high school, and I was thinking about going to Disney, but then, I got off the set of "I, Tonya." Went to work for "I, Tonya," went back to my ice rink, and Tyler was there. He asked if anybody was looking to audition with him, looking for an ice dance partner. I was like "no... no one is." He goes, "Oh, I saw you were doing dances. Would you be interested?" And I was like, "Well, um.... Sure, why not?"
I had a partnership before that was challenging. So I was like, "Do I want to do that again?" And I did. But I think one of my fondest moments from my competitive career was that there are a lot of rewarding ones. There's a lot of highs and lows that come with competition, but my favorite one, like, all around was sitting in the kiss and cry after the long program was over. Because I'm like, "Okay, I've done my job, I did what I came to do." I was very blessed that when we competed, we never had any major mistakes. We never bombed a competition. Did I bomb the practice ice? Absolutely. We never were in the top five. Like, we were never... at smaller competitions, sure. We would podium, but we were never top contenders. We were just so happy to be there and to get the feedback. But yeah, sitting with my coach, Graham Payne, he just worked so tirelessly with us at no expense, so getting to share that moment of, "we did it. No one died," at the end of each competition was just my favorite part.
I remember at the 2021 Nationals, it was our senior debut, and I was so sad that they didn't allow your coaches to sit in the kiss and cry with you, because of COVID, and that broke my little heart, because I loved sharing that with him. Seeing him stand next to the platform, I was like "oh, Mr. Graham."
We were supposed to do the 2022-2023 season as well, but that was cut short, and I was so excited because it was gonna be in Nashville, and for the first time ever, all of my family was going to watch me compete on the national stage. So a lot of a lot of good moments, a lot of not so great moments, but that is life. It's not always easy and that's okay.
Q: Now, with Disney On Ice, you get to perform in front of crowds. We talked about your interaction with the crowds. 2021 nationals, your senior debut, you're in an environment where there is no crowd at all. Not at all. You're basically living in a bubble for an entire week. What was that experience like?
A: It was very crazy, I'll be honest. Like, you get all of these emails and you do this rigorous testing before you're even allowed to go. And you are required to stay in this certain hotel. Like, you can't stay in this hotel. The hotel was normally priced. Like, it was fine. You had to stay there, and then you had to pay for a catering thing, like $100 a day per person. And if you were found anywhere outside of this invisible line, you would be disqualified. Like, there was a certain parking lot we were allowed to go into to get some fresh air, but if we went further than a certain point in the parking lot, it was instant disqualification because you left the bubble. They were very clear on this. I remember walking outside talking on the phone and just being like, "Where is this invisible line? Am I about to leave this competition because I just hot girl walked too far?"
And just the cardboard cutouts. A lot of people paid money to have their faces on those cardboard cutouts, so their people could see them. And there were dogs that were super cute, but I live for performing. Like, to have that energy from the audience is important, because the judges can't really give you any energy. They're busy evaluating you. They can't clap. They can't do anything because they're doing their jobs. And your competitors were allowed to watch, but from a VIP box up top. And once we were in there, we had to be tested again, and it was just so, so different. And the second you left the bubble, you could not come back in. I had a competitor who was a friend, and as soon as she was done skating, they left. I stayed to watch the rest of the events, because I'm like, "I'm here. Why not?" Just screaming from my little VIP seat a million feet away.
It was very different, and then all of my makeup being rubbed off by masks, because that was the first time that we were able to compete that season. So the first time those programs were seen. We had to do some qualifying things, but it was through a video. We couldn't go anywhere. So it was incredibly unique. It's never happened again, which I'm happy for, because it was just so sad to have a Nationals without the energy of people there. When I was a junior, you know, there's a smaller crowd, because it's junior, not as many people are interested. They want to see the seniors. And I just remember how much fun I had with the 150 people there.
And there's these people. I don't know if you've noticed, but at U.S. events, they usually sit in the front row, and they're wearing these big American flag jackets. And I have noticed them since I was a little girl, like, always when I was watching skating events that were in the U.S., they were always there, like the big ones, like Skate America or Nationals. They were always there or at worlds. And so my little girl heart dream was to get to skate for them, because I just thought they were so cool. I had no clue who they are. I still don't know who they are, but I love seeing them. I was like, oh, I didn't get to skate for the American flag people. So that's my biggest regret from 2021 Nationals, was not skating for the American flag people. Very devastating for me.
Q: I have seen them. Not in person yet at events. I'm sure I'll see them at Skate America. But yeah, I also found it interesting as I was doing my research, one of your Into the Magic castmates was one of the people who had to withdraw from that Nationals because of COVID exposure.
A: Really?
Q: Yeah. Winter Deardorff.
A: Winter? I didn't know that's why she didn't go! Because we've talked about this, because was my worst fear. Like, the way I went to the ice rink, went to my home, and I would maybe go to a park in the month leading up because I was like, "if I test positive for COVID, all of this year's work is for nothing." Oh, I had no clue. Oh, that's devastating. I'm gonna have to text her later.
Q: Now, that was your last season there. Do you ever miss competing?
A: No. I do wish I got my full final season, but that means I would have started Disney later, so everything happens for a reason. I still regret the last season I did not get, because I was supposed to. So I miss that opportunity that I didn't get. But everything I was able to do, I was really proud of myself. We had no dancers around us training in Atlanta, and limited ice time, because he was getting his PhD at the time, and I was working on my family's farm two hours away. So we had an hour and a half a day to work on things, whereas our competitors had double that time. So I feel like with the tools we had, we did very well. So definitely don't miss competing, do miss the opportunities I missed.
Q: Now, do you still keep up with the sport?
A: Sort of. I follow all of these skating channels and listen as they feed it, but I haven't hunted any information. I like to see what rhythm has been pulled. I am very sad that we don't have patterns in rhythm dances anymore. Like, we have partial patterns, but that makes me a little bit sad because I had to do full patterns. I'm like, “hey! I had to do that. That's mean.”
Q: Are there any ice dance partnerships that you particularly enjoy watching?
A: Yes. Oh, it's a new team. I cannot remember their names for the life of me. They just moved up to senior this past season. And they were junior world champions the year before. And their performance at nationals made me genuinely so excited. She's a super blonde girl, for their free dance they did a Game of Thrones program. And I think for their short dance, they did ABBA, and they were so electric as a team together and just their themes and their performances, you'd think I would remember their names, 'cause I like them so much.
Q: Leah Neset and Artem Markelov.
A: Yes. Oh, my goodness, I loved watching them skate. Like, it was such a breath of fresh air. Also Michael Parsons and Caroline Green, they're super duper fun. They find some really interesting things to do. And then Christine Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, they are burning it up. Like, they always have been, but I feel like they really hit their stride.
Q: All right, if you're up for it, want to do a little lightning round here?
A: Oh, yes.
Q: Favorite move to perform on the ice?
A: A half drape.
Q: Favorite city you visited on the road?
A: Ooh. Internationally, Auckland, New Zealand, stateside Boise, Idaho.
Q: Boise, Idaho? Interesting choice.
A: It's so cute.
Q: Favorite Disney On Ice costume to wear?
A: Cherry Pie [from the Be Our Guest segment].
Q: All time favorite Disney song?
A: I'll Make a Man Out of You. “Mulan.”
Q: All time favorite Disney movie?
A: Since I watched it yesterday, "Cinderella."
Q: I feel like you might be biased on this one, but all-time favorite figure skating movie?
A: Ooh, Ooh, "I, Tonya," yeah.
Q: What was it like to work on that?
A: It was insane, especially, like, I was still in high school. I applied for it when I was. I had just turned 18. Literally days after I turned 18, one of my girlfriend's moms sent me a casting. They were looking for a 5-foot-6 blonde skater over the age of 18 to be a stand-in for Tonya. And I was like, "I don't know what that means, but okay." I was really sheltered. I was quite green. So I applied, and then I kept getting calls from an unknown number, and I just ignored it for a while, but they kept calling. And I was like, "hello? You weird scammer?" And they're like, "Hey, we saw your resume. Are you available?" And I was like, "Um, yes." And I had to go tell my mother, which didn't go over too well. She said, "You can do the skating portion, and that's it," beause I was offered the full two months of filming.
I didn't know what a stand-in did. I Googled it, but that didn't really help me. Even though it should have. They were quite clear. My my first call time was like 8:30 a.m. And so I thought that meant I should arrive at 8:30 a.m. No. That means I need to be ready on set at 8:30 a.m. So when I got there at 8:30 a.m., they rushed me over in a bus by myself, and I was like, "oh, I'm famous." And they handed me a script and I was like, "Huh?" And then nobody knew what I was there for. When I told them on the phone call, they're like, "It's fine. They'll explain what you need to do when you get to the set." No one explained it. No one explained it, so I just kept getting thrown places.
I was in the background of every single skating scene in that movie. Because a lot of people would come, tell the producers that they had skating experience, and then they would go buy ice skates, and they would show up. with these brand new ice skates that they had no idea how to use, cling to the wall, get kicked out, and then they would throw me and all the stunt doubles and the choreographer and the choreographer's assistant on the ice, and we would just all skate around. We'd be like, "Hey, girl, ready for open ice? Ready for this session?"
I wish I could do it again now that I'm older and less sheltered. I was on a first name basis with Margot Robbie. I felt like the coolest person alive. There's this scene where Sebastian Stan is yelling at Margot, but they shot it over my shoulder, and I was the happiest woman alive. I was like, "Oh, my gosh. The Winter Soldier is yelling at me!"
Q: Now I have to go rewatch it and see how many times I can spot you.
A: Yeah, it's very, like, background movement blurred, but if we sat down and watched it together, I'd be like, "oh, there I am. Oh, there I am. That's my sister. That's my competition dress." My sister did background work as well, and they're like, "can you please bring your own dresses and we'll tell you which one we want you to wear?" And so they put her in one of my dresses, so one of my competition dresses is also in "I, Tonya." On my sister.
Q: All right, there are six kinds of jumps in figure skating: loop, toe loop, flip, salchow, lutz, and axel. Which one is your most hated?
A: I hate an Axel, I hate it! And then that's followed by toe loop and salchow for some reason, those three kill me. Like, I haven't done an axel in two years. Like, I'm doing a double flip before I do an axel.
Q: So when you showed up on set on "I, Tonya", you were not like, "Hey, I can do the triple axel for you?"
A: Yeah, I was like, absolutely not. But watching our amazing stunt doubles just rip off triples for two weeks, I was sitting there watching and I'm like, "I can do this. I could do that." And then, I got to my home rink, tried one, fell over so hard, I was like, "Nope. I can't." Because I watched them do it for two weeks in just the most beautiful, flawless manner. And it made me believe that I, too, could do it as well. They did have me do an axel on "I, Tonya," and I was so angry. I was so angry. I was like, "Don't you know I don't like that one?" But I wasn't about to tell him no.
Q: Last but not least, one piece of advice you would give to anyone starting out in skating.
A: Be okay with falling. Falling is gonna happen. It's not always going to be comfortable, but that's okay. Falling means you're learning. And it's super scary, but you'll get past it. Nobody yearns to fall, but you've got this, you just got to be resilient. You got to get up and try again. And once you get it, the sense of euphoria of conquering that is just unimaginable, and you keep coming back again and again to learn something new, to get that feeling of accomplishment. And it all starts through the fall. So you gotta be okay with falling because it's part of growing.
Apparently, there is more ice in Tennessee than I realized. And now, we need a road trip to Gatlinberg…
Love this!