Meet Vancouver’s Jedi: The Internet’s most popular “Lightsaber Lady” is a local stuntwoman

Michelle C. Smith wields lightsabers on the internet, did stunts Dead Pool and teaches people how to do tricks with sticks.

And she’s from Vancouver.

Smith has amassed a massive following on social media (with 1.4 million followers on TikTok, along with hundreds of thousands on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook), thanks in large part to her viral videos of her acrobatic lightsaber spins, which have garnered millions of views (combined with the attention of many in the film industry).

“On the internet I’ve been called the ‘lightsaber lady,’ or sometimes on TikTok they call me the ‘lightsaber mom,'” she says.

However, it is no coincidence that she ended up here.

Child acrobat for Vancouver performers

Smith’s journey into gun tricks on the internet can be traced back to when she was five years old in Red Deer, Alberta. At that time she began as a sporting endeavor with baton twirling and tackled it; She competed nationally when she was nine. At 11, she represented Canada on the world stage.

“I don’t know why I started, but I did it and it became my life,” she says. “It was my priority, rather than high school.”

When she finished school, she decided to take her physical skills to the coast rather than retire and moved to Vancouver when she was 19. At the time, however, she did not want to use her baton skills.

“I tried to dance for the Backstreet Boys, but when I got here, they weren’t cool anymore,” she says.

Instead, she joined the underground circus, where she forged ties to the film industry due to the overlap between stunt work and circus professionals.

“I didn’t know stunts were a thing until I met stunt people in the industry,” she says.

From there, Smith made her own way into the industry; At the time, she notes, there weren’t that many resources for people working on stunts, so a lot of it was self-directed. But for someone with a lot of sporting talent and experience, along with time, there was a natural progression. And when it came time to learn martial arts, her baton training came in handy.

Blow up the internet

As she progressed and became more confident as a stuntwoman, Smith found that she enjoyed teaching actors and helping them prepare for their stunts. She also started posting videos of her training online with co-workers.

“Posting on social media was one thing for me; really owning who I am and what my skills are,” she says.

Her baton and weapon skills were second to none, earning her some industry attention beyond the usual stunt work. At the same time, her videos of creative sessions and tutorials also garnered attention on social media.

“I wasn’t concerned with numbers, just pushing my own creative limits,” she says. “I used it as a laboratory.”

In 2017 she got a lightsaber to play with (no, not a real one with an overheated blade that cuts through things, but hers glows), which she added to her video line-up. The lightsaber videos have proved popular, with one going “mega-viral” and garnering millions of views across multiple platforms. Wired even had Star Wars star Daisy Ridley react to it.

Now her videos regularly get millions of views.

At the same time, she’s expanded her tutorial efforts online, “encouraging and cultivating” those who follow her and encouraging those who learn the skills she’s mastered.

“I’m really trying to make my own way,” she says of her educational efforts. “I create as I go, and it’s going really well considering many don’t know they want to do it until they see it.”

And while she’s never worked on an official Star Wars project, she’d love to, either as a coordinator and battle designer (a field she works more in these days) or as a cast member.

“I’d love to teach the actors how to do some badass lightsaber combat,” she says. “And really help them with lightsaber training.”

While some lightsaber combat in the past has seemed difficult and slow, she is keen to bring her acrobatic, fluid style to the Star Wars universe.

“It’s a big, open universe and there’s room for choreography,” she says. “Especially with violence.”

@michelle.c.smith I made 2 of these. Which do you like better? #saberstaff #lightsabers #michellecsmith #darthmaul #starwars ♬ Original sound – Ali Easton