Emily Brobst

The advantage of being small

Emily Brobst stands just over four feet tall, which makes her one of the most sought-after assets on Hollywood's major shoots. Her build lets her fit into spaces where other stunt performers can't. In an industry obsessed with realism, she is the physical solution that keeps child actors from taking unnecessary risks in front of the camera.

In 2013, she worked on Iron Man 3, and from that moment on, her name started circulating through the production offices of the major franchises. She isn't after red carpet spotlight. Her job is to take the hits others can't afford to take while wearing wigs and prosthetics that transform her into someone different every week.

It's the paradox of the stunt double.

Her biggest exposure came with Stranger Things starting in 2016. There, she doubled for Gaten Matarazzo in the series' most physical sequences on Netflix. But she didn't just follow basic instructions. In 2019, during filming of season three, she had to coordinate complex movements in shopping malls and nighttime forests to keep Dustin's character consistent.

Bones, wires, and asphalt

Brobst's work demands a discipline bordering on the military. In 2013, she took part in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and had to face extreme weather conditions that tested her muscular endurance. The public tends to forget that behind nearly every digital effect there is a human body crashing into the ground from several meters up.

Before jumping, she checks the wires for the third time. She knows a five-centimeter calculation error can end in a real fracture that halts the entire production. In 2014, she shot The 5th Wave and perfected her fall techniques in destroyed urban settings. So her resume is really a map of accumulated scars and bruises over more than a decade of steady work.

Risk isn't negotiable.

In 2019, she joined the stunt team on Godzilla: King of the Monsters, where the scale of the action demanded absolute precision. Second unit directors trust her because she understands editing rhythm before the scene even reaches the editing room. But her adaptability goes beyond pure, hard-hitting action films.

The logistics of impact

The industry changed its safety protocols in 2020, and Brobst had to adapt to new working conditions on far more controlled sets. In 2022, she took part in Prey, the prequel to The Predator, where the physical demands shifted to rugged, uneven natural terrain. There she had to replicate animal movements and combat choreography that required unusual flexibility for her height.

Many stunt performers try to move into directing or speaking roles. Brobst prefers to stay at the technical core of action. In 2024, she worked on The Electric State under the Russo brothers. Her contract on this sci-fi film included highly complex sequences with hydraulic pulley systems designed specifically for her weight and body size.

For the fifth season of Stranger Things in 2025, her safety planning included twelve weeks of rehearsals for a single chase sequence. The budget for that scene topped one million dollars in accident insurance alone.