Interview with Stuntwoman LaFaye Baker Part 2: Hustle!

LaFaye Baker is a stunt woman we introduced earlier this year in part 1 of her interview where she discusses how she got into the business of stunt work, some of her injuries, and her hula hooping days. LaFaye has worked on titles such as Con Air, Fat Albert, Seven, Hannibal, and Scary Movie 2. She has done a lot of great work not only on screen, but also in the community, which she discusses below, along with other aspects of stunt work.

AFC: You’ve worked in both movies and television. How do those differ for you?

LaFaye: Well, there’s somewhat of a difference as far as movies. I think that you have the opportunity to meet more people in the open environment of the set as opposed to the closed environment of the television set. I prefer to do movies because it seems like you have more time to meet people. Also with television, you get residuals as part of your income every time they show it. We get residuals every time it airs; however, with movies, you may get a larger sum up front because they’re doing a blockbuster, like a big action movie going to a mass audience.

AFC: Which jobs have you enjoyed working on the most? Is there a specific television show or movie?

LaFaye: I’ll say that the most memorable show that I’ve gotten to work on was Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, for that it was the first time that an African American woman had ever been the stunt coordinator behind a big production. I got the opportunity to work with Martha Coolidge and Halle Berry. And to get the credit as a stunt coordinator was great. As you know, most women do not get the opportunity to be stunt coordinators in movies, so I was really excited about that because I thought it would open the door for me to do more movies, which didn’t really happen per se, but I did leave a mark being able to be the first African American women able to coordinate a big budget project, at the time.

AFC: That’s really great!

LaFaye: Yeah, I was really excited about that.

AFC: Ok, is there a specific job that’s been the most dangerous for you to work on?

LaFaye: The most dangerous one that I had was not the one I got injured on, or the other one I got injured on. It wasn’t even the most dangerous, but it was the most memorable and I think the hardest one that I’ve ever done. It was a Camero car commercial and I was in Denver, Colorado, up extremely high with no guard rails and a serious drop, driving 60 miles an hour going through numerous hair-pin turns trying to follow the camera guy. That was the hardest job that I’ve ever done. For me, hitting the ground is not hard, jumping out of the way, being set on fire, all aren’t that difficult for me in particular. It was just the concentration that was required to follow that car on the wet ground and having to shoot around with no guard rail was both extremely challenging and really exciting. So I was really excited about that and I think that was the job that I definitely found most difficult.

AFC: How has stuntwork changed over time, from when you first started to now?

LaFaye: Oh, it’s changed tremendously. When I first started you weren’t really allowed to talk to the actors or the producers about your stunts. You just talk directly to the stunt coordinator. The next generation that came in did it full force, and talked about the actors having a relationship with them rather than not talking to them. The second way it has changed is that you have more African American women in the business. Compared to when I started, there were only maybe two or three of us in the business, and it was more of a hush-hush community. You know, Hollywood is all about the illusion, and actors want people to think that they’re doing they’re own stunts when really they’re just doing one part of the stunt or not doing the most dangerous part of the stunt. A lot of times you’ll have a stunt coordinator on second unit working with the stunt people and a stunt coordinator on first unit working with the actors.

AFC: When I spoke with David Leitch – he’s a stunt coordinator – he mentioned that he sees more directors using CGI instead of stunts. Do you see that happening more nowadays?

LaFaye: Well, here’s how this works: If you’re a director and you want real live people doing stunts you won’t use CGI. But if you’re a director who wants to cut costs sometimes you’ll use CGI. A lot of the time for most stunts, it’ll cost about the same, unless you’re doing, you know, 1500 people riding horses or something. After you’ve done everything with the green screen and the computer people, it can all end up costing about the same.

AFC: Yeah, that’s what I like the most for stunts – to see actual people doing them.

LaFaye: I do too! It keeps me in work. There were some people who were upset with the use of CGI, but I don’t think it’s as prevalent as it used to be.

AFC: What’s the hardest part of a stuntwoman’s job?

LaFaye: I’d say it’s that part that you could call hustlin’. Stunt workers don’t have agents, you have to figure out how to get on set to make sure to talk to people yourself. I am part of the Stuntwomen’s Association and there’s different girls working on shows who might email us and say this person is working on the show. Then we have to try and find a way onto the set. It was so much easier to get on a set before 9/11. Now some of the shows are closed and it’s hard to get on. You have to be creative to get on the set to let the coordinator know you’re out there.

AFC: So you have to be really driven.

LaFaye: At the beginning of my career I was really driven and worked really hard to get my name out there and get established. After you become a veteran and become more practiced, you assume that people know who you are, but it’s one of those things that’s like “out of sight, out of mind.” Once you aren’t in people’s faces as much, they can forget that you’re around. So you have got to hustle. Hustle, hustle, hustle.

AFC: Do you do anything else besides stuntwork?

LaFaye: I have worked as a probation officer. I am working with juvenile delinquent kids that are incarcerated. This can go from kids in a foster home who think of ways to survive and have committed a crime and I deal with mostly boys. That’s how I stumbled into the business [stunt work].

AFC: So how did you become a probation officer?

LaFaye: Somebody told me about the position and said I should apply for it. I had never heard of it. How had I never heard of juvenile hall before? Well, it didn’t apply to me so it kind of went over my head. I had a great person teach me the ropes of how to deal with these kids and how to not let them get up under my skin. What’s good is the fact that I was able to work there and still do stunts. Then I started a foundation that works with kids that is called the Diamond in the Raw Foundation. This is where I actually take kids to sets and they can learn about the different kinds of careers behind the sets. There is an imbalance of gender behind the scenes and I think it’s important that we introduce other women to these positions. Most of them want to be in front of the camera, and they don’t know about the opportunities behind the scenes.

AFC: How does the field differ for stuntwomen as opposed to stuntmen?

LaFaye: Oh, it’s definitely different. The longevity of a stuntwoman is the thing. It’s like when you turn 40, it’s over. For a man, they can work til they turn 70. The men just feel that women get to where they can’t do the job, and a lot of guys, they just want to hire their friends anyway. You have more stunt coordinators that are male and more stuntmen in general that are men. I’ll give you a great example. Mission: Impossible, the last one, they have this big explosion on the bridge, and for some reason they never thought about there being women running to get off the bridge. So, some of the men had been working on this for at least 4 months, but we got a call 3 days before because they needed some women. They hired 8 women to run across the bridge. Men tend to get hired for nondescript things like that, where a person is needed for any category- running, jumping, etc.

AFC: Well, I’m glad you’re out there representing us women.

LaFaye: Yeah, and I’ve been out there for a bit doing stuntwork and stunt coordinating, which is good, because I think it’s really important to kind of be out there and help the next generation of stuntwomen.

AFC: Do you ever get asked to do things you’re not comfortable with?

LaFaye: It depends on the person’s personality whether they’ll ask you to do something like that. And for you, you can either say “I’m not available” or “I’m not interested in doing something like that.” I think a stunt coordinator appreciates you for saying that you can’t do something rather than trying to do something you’re uncomfortable with and making them look bad.

AFC: So you have to know your limits and your weaknesses.

LaFaye: There might be some things that come up that you have to do on the set. Some things you can’t just learn, you have to learn it on the set.

AFC: Jessica Alba is good friends with her stuntwoman/body double Taryn Dakha. How well do you get to know the performers you double for?

LaFaye: I’m a loner. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but honestly, I’ve never tried to reach out and get on a personal level with the actors because I have another job so it’s kind of difficult for me. A lot of times, what I might do is go to my regular job at 6 am on a Thursday. I would get a call for another job on Friday, and I would leave that job on Friday to do the stunt, then I would come back to my regular job. So there’s not enough time to really establish a relationship because I’m trying to do two jobs concurrently.

AFC: You are very busy!

LaFaye: Oh, that’s an understatement. I’m more busy than I’ve ever been in my life right now trying to do the foundation and then the Stuntwomen’s Award. Last year I put together a Stuntwomen’s Award which we announce various stunt performers’ awards. Linda Hamilton and Lisa Leslie will be there. We want to have it where women are recognized. They are the unseen heroes of the stuntwoman. The Stuntwomen’s Award is the fundraiser for the foundation. You can visit our website at www.stuntwomensaward.com. It’s October 4^th at Skirball. I just thought I would throw that in there because, like I said, my focus now is to try and work with the community and kids.

AFC: And you helped create this?

LaFaye: Yes, I am one of the cofounders.

AFC: So what lead you to do that?

LaFaye: See, stuntwomen rarely get recognition. They do have the Torch awards, but they don’t have anything for a variety of women that’s qualified. We have a Mentorship Award, which is for a stuntwoman that has mentored someone. We also have a Jewel Award, for a stuntwoman based on talent and creativity. We have a Gem Award, for the stunt coordinator which is male, but hires women in the nondescript capacity hoping that will motivate them to hire more women to work. There’s other categories that involve the Stuntwoman of the Year, and one which would involve a celebrity who has given back to the community. There’s a special achievement award. We have the Helen Gibson Award, who was the first stunt woman for over 30 years and made a name for herself and did something extraordinary.

AFC: Are there any stories you think fans or fans of action movies would enjoy that you’d like to share.

LaFaye: Probably What’s Love Got to Do With It, when I was getting beat up by Ike Turner [Laurence Fishburne]. They [fans] remember that because he beat the crap out of me. Or, for the kids, I worked on a show called Don’t Be a Menace While Drinking Juice in the Hood. Most of the kids can recognize that because I got socked in the face, not in real life, but I flip over a table and most of the kids think that I got beat up because they don’t know the process of movie making.

AFC: You have so many skills listed on your resume. How do you keep up with all those skills?

LaFaye: When you’re working, it is always difficult to keep up with the different skills that you have, but what I do is workout and stay in shape. A lot of times you don’t forget. You may need to brush up on something before you do it, but most of the time you don’t forget it, and you just keep moving

AFC: Do you have a specific workout routine?

LaFaye: Not specifically. Cardio is so important. I run like 3 days out of the week. I think running is good for me. It works. You have to watch what you eat. I’ve never had a weight issue. The most I’ve weighed is 130 lbs but I like to stay around 125 lbs. If you want to lose weight quick, there’s a program that’s like no sugar, no bread, no red meat, no juices. Just water for 8 weeks and you will be surprised, the cellulite just drops off of you quick.

AFC: That’s a lot of water!

LaFaye: Well, I think the body is what, 80% water. You have to basically put more water into it. Oh, it’s good for you, I just can’t say it’s one of my favorites.

AFC: I forget sometimes just how good water is for you. So, what kind of movies do you like to watch?

LaFaye: I like a lot of shows on Lifetime. I think those shows are interesting. Maybe women related movies, I don’t know. Of course, I like action, but I find myself watching action movies and trying to figure out what was going on and saying “oh that was good” and people are looking at you like you’re crazy. You know because you’re a stunt person, you’re looking at how they did the stunts.

AFC: Yeah, I guess that would be a little different for you.

LaFaye: Yeah, you watch and can pick out where the double is because you know that wig doesn’t match. You just sit there and pick apart everything that is going on because we work in it.

AFC: Do you like to watch yourself in your movies or shows?

LaFaye: I’ll be honest with you, I rarely watch anything that I do. If it is something I felt was really great, then I’ll watch it, but for the most part, I don’t really watch any of it. I don’t really get caught up in that. I like what I do. It’s exciting and I’ve had a long career doing it. I’ve made a lot of money as a stuntwoman. I have to accept the fact that sometime my time will be up. Like my mentor said, “Your time is your time, and you have to make as much money as you can and make a name for yourself.” I think that I’ve mastered all that. I’ve done a great job, and I’m trying to go on to the next phase.

AFC: Is there anyone you dream about getting to work with?

LaFaye: I would love to work with Kathy Bates. I love her. I love Anthony Hopkins, but I had the opportunity to work with him already and he was a pleasant guy. I worked with Tom Hanks, I’m sure there is someone I would love to work with. My favorite actors I’ve already worked with. Halle Berry is one of my favorite actresses and Laurence Fishburne is one of my favorite actors. Kathy Bates is the only person I haven’t had an opportunity to work with. Now there may be some directors that I would love to work with. In fact, there are probably some people out there that I would like to be the stunt coordinator for some of their shows. You know like Tyler Perry, or Halle Berry has her own production company. I would love to be a stunt coordinator for her.

A special thanks goes to LaFaye Baker for taking the time to do an interview with me.

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!