Does Blake Lively Have A Secret Talent?

With the actor's new shark-thriller The Shallows opening in theaters on June 24, it's only fitting to wonder: does Blake Lively surf in real life? Considering that The Shallows is a thriller about a surfer, Nancy, who finds herself in a battle of wills and a battle for survival against a Great White Shark, it's only natural to question if the actor truly has the same talents as her character and knows how to catch a wave or two. Well, it seems that maybe, this former Gossip Girl does in fact have some skills when it comes to surfing.

In a 2010 article written by Hamish Bowles for Vogue, Lively admitted that she had only ever "surfed once before." But that was then. It's six years later, and that's probably plenty of time for the California native to have picked up a surfing habit. It seems that may indeed be the case. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Lively stated that "they didn't hire a stunt double till the last two weeks of shooting. Every single day there wasn't a single scene that wasn't stunt heavy."

Essentially, from the above interview, it seems as though Lively did most of her own stunts, and that could have included plenty of surfing bits. However, Sarah Friend, the 22-year-old stunt double for Lively in The Shallows seems to have an extensive surf background, which might suggest that some of the wide surfing shots may have been done by Friend instead of Lively. Still, I'm willing to bet that Lively stepped up to the plate and surfed her heart out for the new film.

Which could only add to the thrills of the movie. The film's true terror lies in the fact that Nancy is stranded not crazy far from shore. Survival is so close, yet what stands in her way is a shark poised to attack her the minute she reenters the water. Scary, right? So while it's unclear if Lively's own surfing skills had a big effect on the movie, I'm sure we'll all be impressed and properly freaked out when The Shallows hits theaters.

Images: Columbia Pictures