“I didn’t realize there were female drivers. We just put a guy in a wig for a job.” This is the most common sentence that female stunt drivers hear when they are in the industry. Three accolade-studded female stunt drivers Olivia Summers, Dee Bryant, and Angela Meryl who have 60+ years of professional stunt driving experience in 500+ commercials and more than 300 films and TV shows launched the Association of Women Drivers (AWD) the first all-female driving team. They decided to challenge the male-dominated stunt industry and create their own platform.

Women are systematically excluded from the stunt industry and their skill sets are questioned by men. Thus, AWD speaks up against the unfair patriarchal structure of hiring practices and discriminations towards female drivers since male drivers constantly taking money out of a women’s pocket. They wanted to change the sexist and racist structure of the industry and encourage stunt driver casting that is more diverse. We talked with Olivia, Dee, and Angela about AWD, industry, wigging, and their experiences. Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about AWD and the ladies behind it.

Where are you based?
Dee: I'm based in Los Angeles, CA.

Angela: I am based in Los Angeles. I’m originally from the Philadelphia and New Jersey area, but I have traveled as far as Instanbul, Turkey for work.

Olivia: AWD is based in Los Angeles and available worldwide.

What inspired you to launch AWD?
Dee: AWD was born out of the necessity of creating more visibility for female stunt drivers who are too often overlooked.

Angela: Olivia Summers came up with the original idea. Myself and Dartenane Bryant agreed immediately that this idea was a great one. We are tired of hearing that there are no women drivers.

Olivia: A commercial producer said to me “I didn’t know there were female drivers? I just put a guy in a wig”. I knew I needed to create a team of the top female drivers, however few female drivers there are. We needed to connect with more ad agencies and production companies so they know we are here and they can contact us directly. We aren’t taking work anyway from guys, just levelling the playing field.

AWD is really exciting as it is the first-ever all-female stunt driving team. Can you talk about more?
Dee: Ironically(or not), all-male driving teams have always existed so an all women's driving team was far overdue.

Angela: I feel that forming this group will help open the door for other women. We have the ability to lift up others and make people in the business aware that we are here and we are ready.

Olivia: AWD Drivers have an extensive stunt resume specializing in car work on film, TV, and commercials. We have shot over 500 commercials combined and 300 film and television shows combined. AWD drivers are always working; when we aren’t working we will have practice days where we will get together and throw cars around. We like to have a good time too! We don’t have egos, nobody is curing cancer, and we are just making great TV!

Why did you want to speak up about the issues of women stunt drivers?
Dee: By speaking up against unfair hiring practices, we bring unwanted attention to those who perpetuate these practices which we hope will deter them from continuing to be in violation of certain SAG by-laws.

Angela: Because we have all experienced being told that there are no women drivers that can do the job.

Olivia: Honestly, I haven’t had many issues at all as a female stunt driver (at least not on the film and television side). The wigging needs to stop and they need fine or suspend the talent that is breaking SAG rules. There’s the occasional guy (another male driver) that may not like that I am on the call sheet. That guy should also take a peak inside the production trailer ‘cause its all women in there too.

We know there is a male-dominated stunt driving space in the industry. What is wigging and how does it affect you?
Dee: Wigging is when a male basically steals a job from a stuntwoman by claiming that there aren't any qualified women to perform the stunt safely. I have been a victim of this several times by the same perpetrator.

Angela: Wigging is when a male stunt performer puts on a wig to double a woman. I have a family to support and health insurance that we have to qualify for every year. That one job could be the difference between me having insurance and not having insurance.

Olivia: Wigging is when a male stunt performer puts on a wig that matches the female actress hair that he has been asked to double. It’s against SAG AFTRA rules. Anytime a male driver wears a wig he is taking money out of a women’s pocket. She maybe a single mother, have an ailing family member, or just trying to have financial freedom. How would that guy like it if one day his daughter runs into a similar situation and a guy at her job steals from her?

Can you talk about the troubling occurrences that drove you to launch the collective?
Dee: I have never witnessed a "wigging," but I was constantly hearing about a certain stuntman who has a nasty habit of doubling women behind the wheel whenever a stunt coordinator claimed that there were no qualified women capable of performing the stunt. This made my blood boil, so I knew that I had to be a part of this team to help bring a stop to these unfair hiring practices.

What are the main reasons for the lack of women in top stunt positions?
Dee: The stunt business can be a very lucrative, which can breed greed. Many stunt coordinators hire each other or their friends and family members as a means to keep the wealth amongst themselves. Being that most stunt coordinators are male, they tend to train their sons or other males to fill their shoes which creates a sort of "boys club" where very few female stunt coordinators exist.

Olivia: I don’t feel there is a lack of women in the stunt world. There are a lot of amazing, badass women out there! There are only a few female drivers and the reason is that most people (including both men and women) don’t train as much with cars because it is expensive and it takes a lot of time. One weekend training isn’t going to make you a stunt driver.

What kind of discrimination do you receive for being a woman?
Dee: As a woman in a predominantly male industry, my skill set is constantly questioned. It literally took over 15-years for me to be recognized as a respected driver and motorcyclist in this industry even though I've been street racing cars and riding motorcycles since I was a kid.

Angela: I have always heard that if one African American woman messes up, she messes it up for everyone. That notion is totally unfair to all of us. Everyone makes mistakes, but one person should’t penalize a whole group of people.

Olivia: The guys I usually work for love having a woman on set. Let's face it we are easier on the eyes. A couple of times the first AD has looked at me then the stunt coordinator and said, “So she can drive, right?” They don’t realize they are pissing off the stunt coordinator — he hired me!

There is a historic exclusion towards women who want to drive. With the effect of patriarchy, most people think that driving is not something girls do for years. How can we get rid of this sexist idea? Have you ever been affected by this?
Dee: As more women continue to put in the work and become competent drivers it will inevitably create more visibility for female drivers, which the patriarchy will not be able to deny at some point. Throughout most of my career I have heard and have even been told that Black women can't drive well. I have made it my goal to dispel that stigma.

Olivia: The more publicity we get, the more people know we are here. I can’t fault everyone for not knowing. I can fault them for knowing and acting like they didn’t know there are female stunt drivers.

In a male-dominated industry, women are rarely hired as stunt coordinators. How does it affect the hiring process of women stunts?
Dee: Some male stunt coordinators have abused their positions by taking advantage of young, naive stuntwomen. Some of these coordinators repeatedly hire certain stuntwomen who are rumored to perform sexual favors in exchange for a paycheck. Apparently, this practice has lead to more than just a few stuntwomen ending up being married to coordinators. Funny how no one ever questions their intentions after they tie the knot.

Olivia: There are more female stunt coordinators now being hired for shows and I feel there will be more. Dee Bryant and myself are now coordinating car commercials and we can hire whom we want on the spot.

People usually give different excuses for putting obstacles in women's way. What was the most sexist and weirdest excuse you received for discouraging you from the job?
Dee: I actually feel that I have been discriminated against more for being a woman of color than I have for just being female in this business. I have been told that I'm too dark to double Latinas although my mother was Latina.

Olivia: I haven’t had any excuse or someone discouraging me from the job. I have had a call from a stunt coordinators on commercial he said “I have a job out of town but production doesn’t want to pay for another hotel room so we would have to share.” Obviously I didn’t take the job.

What should industry do for the visibility of women stunt drivers? What kind of policies should they create for the same level of visibility across all genders and ethnicities?
Dee: I don't entertain thoughts of this industry doing much to increase the visibility of women stunt drivers, which is why I am excited to belong to a team who is actually creating the change ourselves. SAG has been completely useless in enforcing their by-laws.

Angela: With AWD we are doing it. You are helping to get the word out there that there are a whole class of women drivers that handle the job. For that we thank you!

Olivia: The industry should write in more powerful roles for women. The producers of the films, shows, and commercials should also be overseeing the ratio of women to men on set. In the “ND” (non descript) stunt scenes there shouldn’t be 10 cop cars all filled with guys. It should be half and half. Besides how bad does it look when you see all men getting out of cop cars in a movie? LAPD doesn’t have female officers?

You mentioned, “I was getting fatigued hearing from producers that they didn’t even know female stunt drivers existed.” Do you think is it lack of information or is it because people in the industry do not want to raise their voice about it?
Dee: It may be a lack of information on the part of producers but some people are just resilient to change so they bask in their ignorant beliefs that women aren't good drivers.

Olivia: I don’t think it is all lack of information. I feel some of it is the boys club in the commercial industry. There are a few male drivers that have “buddied up” or give “gifts” to producers to keep them hiring them so it could also be an excuse to say they didn’t know about us. My girlfriends are commercial producers; they are big on women empowerment and very fluent with the rules.

We learned that drivers darkening their skin with makeup to double as an individual of another race which is known as a "painting down". Can you please explain this? What do you think about the inclusion policies of the industry and what are your experiences about racial discrimination?
Dee: Paint downs usually occur when nepotism is involved or the stunt coordinator simply fails in doing their due diligence in finding the proper stunt double. They will either hire a friend or family member to perform the stunt in black face. Blatant discrimination which is still very common in this industry.

Angela: This has been going since the 60’s. A White stunt person is put in dark make up to make him or her look like a Person of Color. Look out for the upcoming Docu Series “Painted Down” coming out soon. The series dives deep into this process. You will hear stories from the pioneers of this business and they had to go through to get work. We would not be here if it were not for them.

Collectively you have over 15 years of professional stunt driving experience in 500+ commercials and more than 300 films and TV shows. Do you find most of your clients had a positive attitude towards inclusivity? Were there any that stood out as really amazing?
Dee: Correction: Collectively, we have over 60-years of experience. :-) There are just a handful of stunt coordinators who are very inclusive in their hiring practices. George Cottle, Eddie Perez, Jessica Harbeck, William Washington and Andy Rusk are some of the very few who are absolutely amazing stunt coordinators that don't discriminate at all in their hiring practices.

Angela: Yes since AWD was formed so many people are on board with the group.

Olivia: YES!!! All my producers love what we are doing! I have had so many of the male stunt coordinators on the film and TV side reach out and congratulate us. The Director of Content at Team One is probably the biggest supporter of women in the industry and a fan of ours. Paul Feig, the director of Bridesmaids, and my favorite director to work with congratulated me… via instagram that was a major highlight for me!!!

Accidents and injuries are part of the job. How do you stay safe?
Dee: As a seasoned stuntwoman, I've developed a sort of intuition that senses danger. If I feel any tinge of fear about a particular stunt then that is my indicator that tells me not to accept the job. I never question it.

Angela: I stay safe by training in all that I do. This may seem cliché but it works for me if I eat right exercise and get my sleep! I also maintain a positive attitude.

Olivia: I make sure I have plenty of sleep the night before so I am completely alert. Paying attention at every moment, you never know when a crew member will walk behind you or a person on a street coming out of nowhere. I worry more about the people around me.

JeJune loves that AWD wants to shape the next generations of female stunt drivers and provide support, networking and mentoring opportunities to team members, amplifying awareness about that. What are your suggestions for the next generations of women stunts?
Dee: Train...train...train...then train some more! The term "practice makes perfect" doesn't apply more to any other industry.

Angela: I would suggest to continue to learn and continue to train. Relationships are very important in this business, so it’s key to work at making and keeping them.

Olivia: TRAIN!! One weekend class doesn’t make you a stunt driver. No dancer in a ballet company took a weekend of classes and auditioned for a company that week. We are always practicing when we aren’t working. Be nice and humble! You’re only as good as your last job. Sleeping with someone for a job will only get you that one job. Guy’s talk and we all hear about it! Know that you are a great driver and don’t sell yourself short!

How has COVID impacted your lives and the launch of AWD?
Dee: Covid just basically slowed the launch of AWD but nothing would have stopped it.

Olivia: We were ready to go and launch AWD in March for Women’s month then Covid hit. It would have been completely inappropriate to launch it when people are not well. When we launched in July I had know idea it would blow up in the media and all the positive responses we were getting from producers, directors and stunt coordinators. I am definitely a lot busier these days.

How are you staying positive during a shelter in place?
Dee: Exercise is always the best cure for everything. My home gym kept me sane during the Covid lock down.

Angela: Since the stay home order started I have been in acting class, voice over class, and I took all my renewal tests for my Real Estate License. I have also been in Toast Masters and I’ve been writing a script. Having a close friend that keeps you accountable also helps!

I listen to motivational videos on Youtube. I also have a goal/vision board that I post things people, places, things and jobs that I want to achieve. The vision board helps to keep me on track. I also exercise that helps to keep me grounded! Face-timing with family and friends also helps me stay positive.

Olivia: I have affirmations that I do daily and thanks to Angela I have created a fabulous goal board. I have been out to Willow Springs with my drift/practice car with a buddy of mine. I am the only female stunt driver with a commercial drivers license, and I am actually getting ready to go practice on a large truck now. You never know what you’ll get called to drive.

What is your motto in life?
Dee: Never allow the fear of failure to rob you of your full potential - Dartenea Bryant

Angela: Nothing in Life comes easy because if it did everyone would be doing it! You have to put in the work to get the reward.

Olivia: 1) God’s rejection is God’s protection! 2)Throw me to the wolves, and I’ll return leading the pack.

To learn more about the AWD please follow them via the below platforms: www.associationofwomendrivers.com/work
Instagram: awd_drivers

Dee:
https://stuntpoc.com/stunt-performer/dartenea-dee-bryant/

Angela:
www.angela-meryl.com
Twitter: AngelaMeryl
Instagram: angelameryl

Olivia:
www.oliviasummers.com
Instagram: msoliviasummers

It's Time To Change The Male-Dominated Structure Of The Stunt Industry