It’s been a while since we saw Jennifer Lopez engaged in fisticuffs and high-speed chases (Enough, anyone?), but with The Mother the iconic superstar is back and ready for action. As a new behind-the-scenes look reminds us, the actor and musician is more than prepared for the kind of on-screen action her new film requires. “Her dance and choreography background makes it so she’s just real coordinated,” second unit director Jeff Habberstad says in the featurette, which you can check out above. Being one of the most famous dancers on the planet has its secondary perks. 

The Mother follows Lopez as a deadly assassin who’s pulled out of retirement when her long-lost daughter is in danger. But it’s not all about taking a punch; Lopez also had to learn to construct a sniper rifle — without looking at it. “Her ability to learn something in her body and execute it, it’s from years –– decades –– of choreography,” director Niki Caro tells Tudum. 

It’s a combination of talent that makes Lopez preternaturally suited to her new role. “Being a dancer really helps you when it comes to learning steps of things,” she says. “Even in the fighting, it’s like learning a technique of a new kind of dance.” You can hear her thoughts on the preparation in the video below.

Lopez’s natural inclination for action choreography had Caro asking a simple question. “Once I started working with her and I could see what she could absorb so quickly and how she could execute so quickly, it’s like, ‘Why hasn’t she been an action movie hero her entire career?’ ” Caro says, before pausing for a moment. “Well, probably because she was doing all kinds of other fabulous things.” Performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, perhaps?

The Mother hits Netflix on May 12 — just in time for Mother’s Day.