WWE Star Sasha Banks recently appeared as a guest on the ‘Normal Not Normal Podcast‘ and revealed the challenges that WWE talent face when Vince McMahon get involved in script changes.
Speaking with Harry Potter twin-stars James and Oliver Phelps (The Weasley Twins), Sasha was talking initially about how she landed a role in the Disney Plus TV Series ‘The Mandalorian’ where she plays ‘Koska Reeves‘. It was in fact Sasha’s appearance on ‘Hot Ones’ that caught producer Jon Favreau’s attention.
Jon Favreau saw me on Hot Ones and decided he’d write a role for me, he liked me on there! I asked him whether I should get acting classes, he said “you just do you, you do it every Monday night on national television what are you talking about!
Sasha went on to explain that Jon was right, so much so that she gets a new script every single week she needs to learn and act out. Speaking about hectic it can be backstage before live TV, Sasha revealed more about Vince McMahon’s behaviour with scripts.
I get a script every single week, but in WWE it’s so exciting, our boss is so legendary, and crazy, and iconic…but again crazy! He will change things in an instant, maybe sometimes he doesn’t even give you a script and just push you out there and you have to adapt. He will change a script on you in 30 seconds, in a heartbeat – you have to be able to react.
The current SmackDown Women’s Champion was asked “how would you describe wrestling to someone who doesn’t know?“. Her answer was incredibly positive and shows the love she has for the art.
It’s theatre, acting, drama…it’s alive! It’s like SNL on crack! It’s insane, it’s entertainment. It’s an art in itself, a tamed martial art. Learning how to protect yourself and others around you, wrestling is so crazy, it’s such an excitement.
In the Podcast Sasha praises the WWE, describing how she is in her ‘dream job’ which she knew she wanted to do since she was 10 years old watching wrestling. Her Mum was initially apprehensive as back then “all the women’s were having bra and panties matches or in mud” but Sasha went on to explain why her role in lifting the women’s division has been so important and has elevated the division to what it is now.
You can watch all of the podcasts (Including Sasha Banks episode) here, Normal Not Normal sees James and Oliver talk to friends, colleagues and personal heroes who stepped into the limelight at a young age, and find out what “normal” means to them.