‘Furious 7’ Background Extras Lies About Being “Only Female Stunt Driver”
With the recent success of ‘Furious 7’ and the entire ‘Fast and Furious’ series, it’s no surprise that so many big names in Hollywood have wanted to be part of this massive franchise.
However, in a recent report on Jalopnik, one woman was so desperate for attention that she lied to everyone saying she had a major role on ‘Furious 7’ even though she was only a background extra.
Sulinh Lafontaine is a self-proclaimed actress, stunt driver and producer, and has publicly stated throughout the promotion of ‘Furious 7’ she was the only female stunt driver in the movie. Sounds really great right? Well, there’s one problem with Lafontaine’s claim, it’s a lie.
Where did the lies begin?
Lafontaine was at the premiere of ‘Furious 7’ and was interviewed by a blogger. The interview was then posted on CNN’s iReport and titled “Furious 7 World Premiere with the only female stunt car driver Sulinh Lafontaine.” Of course the report gained a lot of attention. The stunt community soon noticed the article and were outraged at what she was saying.
Check out parts of the interview:
What cars did you drive?
I drove both hero cars as well as nondescript cars, Bugatti, McLaren, Dodge Charger, and a few others.
What was the most difficult stunt you did as a stunt car driver on Furious 7?
The rally. Avoiding collisions at that speed on the track.
How fast were you driving?
Speed varies depending on the scenes. My top speed on this set was 140mph.What was it like being the only female stunt car driver?
Female stunt drivers are far and few in between. It’s hard to break into the stunt industry, even harder if you are a female. But to be the only female stunt driver on a set of this magnitude was absolutely mind blowing! I feel very honored. And blessed.
Now this might sound impressive, but reporters have actually interviewed the ‘Furious 7’ supervising stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer, and it was quickly apparent that Lafontaine was lying. Kramer confirmed that multi-car scenes the cars would be traveling 25-50 mph maximum, and speeds beyond could kill someone. Lafontaine’s claimed speed of 140mph are just lies.
Claims by Lafontaine to have driven the Bugatti car, plus two others that featured in a scene set in Abu Dhabi were deemed laughable by Kramer who simply thought her ability to split herself into three separate drivers at once was impressive.
It get’s worse…
Lafontaine lies went even further when she photoshopped herself into the poster for ‘Furious 7’ and renaming it ‘Furious 7.5’
Lafontaine went on to disrespect Paul Walker by claiming to know how his death had affected the crew:
Did you the feel the overshadow of Paul Walker while filming?
Absolutely. Fast and Furious storylines have always been about the dynamic between Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. Without Paul to wrap up the filming was extremely tough on everyone. The mood was very somber. But the job had to be done. The film had to be complete. It definitely was not an easy task. I think they gave a terrific tribute to Paul at the end of the film. I was completely teary-eyed at the premiere.
So, was she even in the movie?
While it has become apparent that Lafontaine was not involved in the stunt driving scenes. Joel Kramer believes she may have been part of a crowd of 1,500 extras. This would explain how she was able to take a picture and post it on to her Flickr photostream.
After she was an extra in the film, perhaps she thought she could lie in order to boost her acting career.
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