As Marvel’s Agent Peggy Carter, Hayley Atwell regularly kicks ass. Literally. And it turns out Hayley, 33, has accidentally been taking after her on-screen alter ego while training for the role!
Hayley told What’s on TV her over-zealousness has caused several injuries to the series’ stunt men: "I had two stunt coordinators, who would teach me each of the fights as if it was a choreographed dance sequence. Then I'd learn it and shadow my stunt double until I got it right and then have a go.
"I loved it and I started off realising I had a lot of confidence and very little skill which is a BAD combination because I ended up hurting quite a few stunt men in the making of the season!
"It was challenging but it helped me throw myself into the character of who Peggy was. Literally. She’s assertive, resourceful; she uses a fridge door and a stapler when she needs to. She doesn't have any superpowers but she has her wit, speed and her intelligence and she fights dirty, which is always good fun.”
Unfortunately for the poor stuntmen on set, Hayley's combination of clumsy enthusiasm coupled with poor aim, led to injuries in some rather intimate areas!
"I kicked six men in the balls! I also hit someone over the back with a lead pipe and then I kicked an iron chair into the assistant director, not intentionally. I wasn't being a diva. I was just being really clumsy. I've a few of these on Twitter and Instagram, so you can see me in slow mo kicking someone... I was so ashamed but everyone’s lived to tell the tale!"
Hayley added: “I would say the hardest things were the emotional scenes. There’s a scene where she feels betrayed by someone and she has to confront them and that emotionally is quite uncomfortable to do because it’s very exposing. So I’d say that was the biggest challenge of playing Peggy.”
New episodes of Agent Carter air on Sundays at 9pm on FOX . For the full interview please watch the video above...
Watch more from Hayley here
