For SPH-B senior Anna Witte, bike riding in the historic Little 500 was something to fill a need for exercise and competition in her freshman year.
Little did she know this experience would help land her a role as a riding double in the upcoming film Little Five, directed by Ian Samuels and co-produced by Anne Hathaway and filmed locally in Bloomington this past summer. The plot revolves around the four young women attending Indiana University in the early 1980s who spearheaded the Little 500 Women’s Race.
“I randomly filled out a form to be a background character and suddenly I was on a movie set for three weeks straight,” shares Witte, laughing. “The track here at IU is its own entity—if you are not used to riding on that kind of surface made of cinder and dirt, it can throw you off.”
Witte, who had just returned from a trip to the United Kingdom at the end of June to help launch the global chapter of the community outreach program Hoosier Sport, found herself one of four IU students picked to be riding doubles as backups to the four main actress’s stunt doubles.
“The crew told us they would pick the four people that looked the closest to the actors,” says Witte. “The whole point is they don’t see you close up because you are not the actor, but I looked similar enough in my height, build, and side profile…I have no experience in film so it was very cool to see how things work on a movie set.”
Native to Indianapolis and a Hoosier through and through, Witte is majoring in Kinesiology and plans to stay at SPH-B to obtain her Master’s in Public Health. Her passion for sport safety unexpectedly came into play during her time filming.
“I learned a big part of my role was keeping things safe, because it is so easy to crash in bike riding and it can be problematic because it isn’t just you falling—it is you, everyone behind you, or the people next to you,” says Witte. “The crew needed someone like me and my teammates who know how to handle the bikes in a way that no one would crash and that looks good for the movie.”
Witte managed the 14-hour shooting days; even pulling two all-nighters that required filming from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. During the long periods of downtime while waiting to be called on set, Witte bonded with the other three riding doubles as well as the stunt women for the main actresses.
“The stunt ladies from Chicago were in the same boat, so we got to hear their stories about their careers,” says Witte. “They could do anything—ride a motorcycle, drive a truck, flip a truck, golf, surf, you name it. They were the coolest women ever.”
The most surprising aspect of the filmmaking for Witte was seeing the large amount of people involved, from the actual recording using film reels to transportation to costumes and makeup.
“It took a village, and everyone has to communicate and be a team player for it to work out,” says Witte. “I had a small tattoo on my arm they had to make sure was airbrushed out, and I had to take all my jewelry off. I even had to get a haircut!”
While Witte appreciates having had this unique experience this past summer, she is even more excited about her work with the Hoosier Sport program partnership in the UK, which has helped solidify her career path.
“I really found my passion this past summer with research and that global trip was very impactful,” says Witte. “I’m in a really great place with great people and I know something will open up. When it does, I’ll jump for it.”
Little Five is set for completion in 2027.
For more trailblazing stories about our students, faculty, and staff, visit go.iu.edu/48bx.