Deadpool 2 actress Zazie Beetz is remembering Joi “SJ” Harris, the stuntwoman who died while performing a motorcycle stunt for the sequel in Vancouver, Canada.
“On Monday we tragically lost one of our own — Joi SJ Harris. My heart has been breaking the past two days and I have been searching what to say or do,” Beetz, who was cast as Domino, wrote in a statement shared on Instagram.
“I know that what I feel is nothing compared to what her loved ones, friends + family, are feeling. My heart and my love goes out to her and them all. The cast and crew send peace, healing, and their deepest condolences,” she concluded her message.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Harris is thought to be the stunt double for Beetz. A woman donning the costume for the mutant Domino was spotted on a black Ducati motorcycle in the area for a sequence days earlier.
Harris, known as the first African-American female road racer, died Monday morning on the set of the superhero sequel. It was her first job as a stuntwoman.
Witnesses told the Vancouver Sun that Harris lost control of her bike during a stunt, jumped a curb and crashed through a plate-glass window at Shaw Tower. Police said she died at the scene. Deadline reported that she was not wearing a helmet during the scene because her character does not wear a helmet in the film.
On Wednesday, Ryan Reynolds led the Deadpool 2 crew in a moment of silence on set before they resumed filming. The actor, 40, stood at the center of the crew members, who huddled up around him and bowed their heads after he said a few words.
“Today, we tragically lost a member of our crew while filming Deadpool,” Reynolds tweeted after the accident. “We’re heartbroken, shocked and devastated… but recognize nothing can come close to the grief and inexplicable pain her family and loved ones must feel in this moment. My heart pours out to them — along with each and every person she touched in this world.”
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Harris’s first passion was encouraging women to join the sport of road racing, and her manager and friend Porsche Taylor told PEOPLE, “She should be recognized and known as more than just the stunt driver who passed away.”
She added, “SJ is a remarkable person, and I want her legacy of being an inspiration to women who ride to continue for many more years to come.”
