The Final Destination franchise is home to a litany of iconic deaths. From the generation-traumatizing log truck disaster that opens the second film to the wickedly sadistic tanning bed moment in the third, it’s a series built on wild kills that never fails to deliver on its promise.
After five films, the most recent of which was released way back in 2011, you’d think the well would be firmly dry on creative ways for someone to meet their maker. But luckily directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein proved to be more than up for the task in the deliciously entertaining Final Destination: Bloodlines. Between an instant-classic garbage truck head squisher, an MRI machine mishap, and countless people being reduced to a “SPLAT,” the film has it all. One death, however, has a particularly interesting backstory.
In Bloodlines’s opening, a perilous scene set at a restaurant perched high atop a Space Needle-esque structure, a series of calamities leads to a fire breaking out. Of course, this is Final Destination, so this isn’t just any fire. No, this involves a chef performing a flambé right as an older woman runs by, immediately engulfing her in flames.
For an extended moment, we get a glimpse of this silver-haired, well-dressed woman shrieking in terror as an increasingly large blaze consumes her. It’s a shocking sight, made all the more visceral because it’s a stunt that was done practically.
Courtesy of Yvette Ferguson
Courtesy of Yvette Ferguson
Hollywood isn’t exactly crawling with stunt professionals of a certain age. Perceived as a young person’s game, the art of performing danger is limited. To pull this off, the filmmakers needed a woman of experience and, in doing so, pulled seasoned pro Yvette Ferguson out of retirement at the age of 71.
While many headlines surrounding the film have hinted at her incredible story, always told by one or both of the film’s directors, Ferguson’s voice has been missing from the film’s success—until now. Women’s Health caught up with her to break down the stunt, what goes into being set on fire, and how she just might have nabbed a Guinness World Record in the process.
Warning: The below video contains intense footage of Ferguson performing her fire stunt in the film.
Women’s Health: How did you get into the stunt world?
Yvette Ferguson: My husband and I had moved out to Vancouver back in ’85, and he was a stunt coordinator at the time. There weren’t a lot of women doing stunts, and he came home from work one day and said, “I need a woman to fall down stairs—would you want to do it?” We had three kids, and I wasn’t sure. I said, “What do the stairs look like?” We drove out to this massive mansion, and the stairs were very short and quite cushiony. So I said, “Sure, I’ll do it.” While I was there, there was an older [actress] who had to take a squib hit [a simulation of a gunshot in a film] and throw herself against the wall, and she didn’t want to do it. She said, “There’s a stunt girl—she’ll do it.” I had two stunts in two days, and then I was just busy after that. I always say my biggest stunt is finding a babysitter [Laughs].
When the Final Destination: Bloodlines stunt came to you, how long had you been in retirement?
I never really thought of it as retirement—I just thought I was getting older. I couldn’t do what the young girls were doing anymore. I mean, I’m not old, I’m older. There were times I would go out and do some [stunt] driving, because when you’re in a car, they just put a wig on you and you drive. But, for the most part, I just let it go. I had a family to raise, my husband was busy, and I thought my time was over. But as the kids got older, I thought, well, maybe I’d like to do something else. I thought I’d do background acting for a while and just get out of the house. But then I’d say to my husband, “I’m in really good shape. I don’t feel my age.”
I can run. I play pickleball. I play three or four hours a day every day and walk home. I never feel sore. It just gave me more energy, and I thought, “I bet there are parts I could do at my age that other people can’t, because my gray hair really works.” I’m older, so I can walk older and act older. I could get parts for older women tripping and falling. But when I put my name out there to stunt people, they ignored me. But then Simon [Burnett], the stunt coordinator from Final Destination, sent me an email and he asked me, “I’ve got this gag [what stunt performers call a stunt]. They want someone older. You might fit it, but it’s a fire gag, and you’ll be on fire–would you be interested in it?” I had a ton of questions, of course, but I replied, “Yes, I absolutely would.”
Warner Bros.
What’s that day on set like? How do you mentally prepare for the fact that you’re going to be set on fire?
We started with rehearsals. They started me with a hand burn, just to show me. I remember thinking, “Hey, this doesn’t hurt.” My hand was lit up, completely in flames. Then they did a back burn, and I did a couple laps with my back on fire, and then they did the full thing and let me run through an explosion. So, I had kind of done it already. It was bigger on the day, of course—It was so much fun. I walked into hair and makeup, and they were all rooting for me, too. They started playing [songs] like “Burn Baby Burn” and “Great Balls of Fire” [Laughs]. They were so excited. They kind of got my day going, and after that, it was time for the burn.
In the scene, I was running, I’d look behind, and then I’d keep running. That was all that was going through my head while they were preparing me: Slow down. You’re going to run, turn and look, turn back, he’s going to hit you in the back with the flambé. I’m going to react, then I’m going to keep running. I’m going to scream my head off. I’m on fire. I was going to go to the end mark, lie down, and they would put me out. For the second part, they lit me up, and I ran, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t have my mouth open when these cannons went off, because I was totally engulfed in flame; it was a complete ball of fire. I was right in it. I remember feeling the heat. The brightness was gone, and I looked, and I could see flames all around me—I knew I needed to go down so they could put me out. My whole dress was fired up in front and on the back. Then they put me out—and we did it all in one take.
There’s been talk about you nabbing a Guinness World Record for the Oldest Woman Set on Fire on Camera.
I still haven’t heard back from the Guinness World Records, but we think I probably have it. It takes a while. Colin [Decker, fire stunt coordinator] had put me forward, and that was going to be my gift from him. He was going to get me a plaque, but they’re still looking. I’ve started the process all over, but I don’t think there’s anybody who’ll beat me.
More MoviesWhat’s the reception been like for you? It’s an instantly iconic kill.
It’s crazy! I can’t believe it. Somebody told me the other day, “Enjoy it. It’s a fun ride.” Like, who gets to do this at my age, right? Coming out of retirement… It’s been great. I was in Toronto last week visiting my daughter—she’s a stunt girl, too. She said, “Mom, let’s go see Final Destination.” That’s my third time now. So, we’re sitting there, and I said to Becky, “I should just stand up and say, Hey, I’m Mrs. Fuller!” [Laughs].
I wasn’t going to do that, of course. But then, after the movie was done, the guy beside us said, “I don’t know much about Final Destination. All I know is this elderly woman supposedly broke a record for being the oldest woman on fire.” And I leaned over and I said, “That was me!”
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.