Taylor Swift and ‘Star Wars’ Share an Unexpected Connection
Taylor Swift isn’t a Jedi Knight. Star Wars doesn’t feature a Taylor Swift soundtrack. However, the incredibly successful star does have one unexpected connection to the iconic movie franchise.
We wanted to look into one talented performer, who is involved with both Swift and Star Wars camps, that you may not know.
Behind every successful movie actor, is often a stunt double performer. There are teams of experts and professionals behind the scenes who rarely see the spotlight. Some of them are notable in Hollywood based on their physical abilities.
One such stunt double has an impressive resume, and also serves as an unexpected connection between Taylor Swift and Star Wars.
Who is Caitlin Dechelle?
You might not have heard about her before now, but you’ve definitely seen Caitlin Dechelle in action. The 27-year-old is a stunt double master and has made action stand-in appearances in Agents of Shield, John Carter, Percy Jackson, Ray Donovan, and even How I Met Your Mother.
She was born in Miami and now lives in Los Angeles, where she has a steady flow of work. She is a martial arts enthusiast and actually began training at the age of six. By age nine, she was competing and honing her skills.
She currently has black belts in Chinese Kenpo, Taekwondo, and Japanese Goju-Ryu.
An impressive and blockbuster resume
If you’ve watched Guardians of the Galaxy, Furious 7, Terminator, or Wonder Woman, you’ve watched Caitlin Dechelle do her thing. She’s worked with dozens of stars, including Gal Gadot as her lead double, and continues to be in high demand with her high-kicking, physical prowess.
She says Jackie Chan is her mentor, and she continues to enhance her martial arts with his support. Chan first caught a glimpse of her on ESPN and reached out to have her join him in a co-starring and stunt role in Chinese Zodiac. Their friendship and shared love of martial arts grew from there.
Martial arts is sometimes a prerequisite for stunt double work in Hollywood. It’s Caitlin’s talent with a bo staff and sword, above and beyond her black belt mastery, that helped her land her most recent blockbuster appearance.
Caitlin Dechelle’s connection to Star Wars
Caitlin Dechelle earned a role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as one of Daisy Ridley’s stunt doubles. She leveled up to a black belt in Taekwondo at the age of 14. She told Elle that she then focused on becoming proficient with every weapon she could get her hands on – but the sword was her specialty.
That sword-wielding mastery came in handy when she picked up the lightsaber. She impressed everyone on set and told Elle she has a top-secret gig on The Mandalorian. She couldn’t expand more about who she would be doubling, but cited it was a, ‘very iconic moment in time.’
Caitlin Dechelle’s connection to Taylor Swift
When she’s not flying through the air, kicking, or swinging a lightsaber, Caitlin Dechelle does have a personal and social life. Among her group of friends, is the ever-talented Taylor Swift.
They connected when Caitlin worked with her, as a stunt double in the Bad Blood video (2015). They became fast friends then and remain so today.
So, while Taylor Swift doesn’t have a lightsaber, nor does Star Wars offer the pop singer’s tunes on screen, they do have one connection.
Caitlin Dechelle is popping up everywhere, in her stunt double roles likely making countless connections between stars. With her level of martial arts-meets weapon-wielding success, she could soon become the ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’ of stunt doubles.
