Debbie Evans-Leavitt was a stunt driver in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And they sound so good. Photo provided by Debbie Evans.She credits all of her riding skills and success in the film industry to the experience she gained riding dirt bikes since age six. They didnt even try to hide her face. Debbie came along just in time for all of that to change. That's a guy. So they took me to the hospital. Yes, even when it comes to those mind-boggling scenes in Fate of the Furious, like when a team of supercars and an army tank skidded across a frozen lake in Iceland. ' she laughs. We cut them from the back side half way through or three quarters of the way through. And then the director said, "Well, what color do you want?" His neck was as wide as his head and his shoulders were huge. your ZillaCash Rewards on a future order with us! Debbie Evans remembers her first job as a stunt driver. 1.1K likes. BT: Okay. She took third place. So after the movie, they were so excited about what I did, and I happened to mention that "Hey, I'd really some time love to have a Ducati. I still love what I do and I'm very grateful to be able to do it. And they'll be setting cameras and doing all that, with getting the lighting right, and the grips, and all that stuff going on. Despite an 18-year break from stunt acting to raise her kids, she managed to stay in the game. ' Evans recalls. RevZilla offers shipping to your location! Actor Michelle Rodriguez and stunt performer Debbie Evans in a scene from the documentary " Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story." Debbie worked tirelessly, honing her physical skills and abilities, performing just about every stunt possible, but she never steered far from her first lovemotorcycles and cars! $5 for every $100 you spend on eligible items and brands. I feel like I had been training every day of my entire life to be a stunt driver and I just happened to fall right into it., Evans first film credit was Death Sport and since then her projects have gotten increasingly higher in profile. Photo provided by Debbie Evans.DE: Well, it depends on what we're doing. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights And there was just nowhere for me to go. She has since been featured in Readers Digest, Glamour Magazine, Cycle World, Dirt Bike, and on ESPN, The Montel Williams Show, Womens Entertainment Television, and Entertainment Tonight, and more. DE: Yup. And it's a long day, you know. The men have always been able to crash a car by accident and just get another one, but if a woman made a mistake her reputation was ruined, she says. And I looked at him and said, Youre going to pay me to play? Then you can branch out into the other areas. Debbie Evans is a stunt driver with credits in over 200 films, but she's best known as Michelle Rodriguez/Letty's Fast and Furious driver double. BT: So it sounds like the stunt director already has sort of a vision, but you guys come in and kind of play it out? DE: Usually the coordinator gets all the toy cars out and has a diagram of what the streets look like or the area, and we have toy cars with all of our names on them, and we move them around to where what's gonna happen through the scene. So I was on the bike, and, you know, it went real good, probably four times. Since Evans first started in the industry almost forty years ago, she says that conditions for female stunt drivers have improved dramatically. Living Life A Quarter Mile At A Time: Fate Of The Furious Stunt Driver Debbie Evans DEBBIE EVANS is disguised as a car seat. Photo provided by Debbie Evans.DE: Oh, actually a stunt I did in The Jerk, the Steve Martin movie, that was a really cool thing because I got there and they said, So, what can you do? I had the Bultaco Sherpa T that we were using for the film and I went, Well, do you have a Volkswagen I can ride over? And some PA came over with his Volkswagen and said You can ride over mine! So I actually rode over this guy's car on the movie. And while they're doing that, we are doing slow-speed rehearsals, usually a half-speed rehearsal. Someone called up and asked whether shed be interested in filming a few scenes for the film, so Evans went down to the set and revved up her bike. It was on that gig, actually, that the now 59-year-old Evans came the closest shes ever been to feeling like her life was in danger. When Debbie tied for second overall in the 1978 CBS Stunt Competition as the only female competitor, and won first place in the car race, beating out all of the top male stunt drivers, her stunt career took off. Debbie has three children, currently ages 36, 23, and 20. But I heard the rear tires screeching, and I got on the brakes as hard as I could and I went over to the right as far as I could, and the top, the back of the truck, trailer, went over my front fender, and hit the wall right in front of us. This story has been shared 312,100 times. Counter steering. In one particular chase scene, Evans was supposed to bring her bike right across from a truck, before ducking out as the truck slammed into the wall of a freeway. It was an amazingly beautiful place and the things we were doing there were incredible, Evans says. It was that close. We have updated our Privacy Policy. Debbie Evans (born February 5, 1958) is an American former motorcycle observed trials competitor and current stunt actor. I hate when I see somebody who can barely ride go to the dealership and get on a motorcycle and take off down the road. Your Ad Choices I felt like throwing up, and my body was shaking. I'd walk over to the front wheel and stand on the front fender and put one hand on the handlebar, the one that was turned in, and then put one hand on the tank, put my head down on the seat, and then push up. I got off the motorcycle and my whole body was shaking. And you need to play up if the person's a good driver, or not a good driver. Our goal is to provide the best possible shopping experience to every enthusiast who visits RevZilla. A few of her most notable scenes include stunt doubling Carrie Anne Moss in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) where she drove a Cadillac CTS and rode a Ducati 996 in the famous freeway chase sequence. 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