You’ve seen the scene, right?

The hero, engaged in a high-speed chase, finds themselves boxed in by the bad guy. Escape seems next to impossible, and then... with a scream of the tires, smoke billows and our hero executes a perfect 180-degree turn in the blink of an eye.

Pure cinematic magic? Nah, that’s just another Tuesday for me.

I feel most at home behind the wheel, and it’s literally my job to make the impossible look effortless. As a stunt driver, I'm credited on more than 100 different commercials, television shows, and feature films, demonstrating everything from reverse 180s to drifting into parallel parking spots.

So when Ford asked me to spend some time teaching a few eager drivers what it takes to be a Hollywood stunt driver using a brand-new Mustang Dark Horse, let’s just say I was stoked.

First things first: safety! We were on a closed course with helmets and made sure spectators were behind barriers just in case.

Once drivers were buckled in and briefed, I wanted to make sure they had enough momentum to slide the car around. I instructed them to accelerate somewhere between 30 and 35 miles per hour, but it depends on the conditions (thankfully, we had great conditions that day).

When they reached the correct speed, I had them engage the drift brake* (this isn’t a parking brake!), making sure to snatch it upward firmly to initiate a controlled slide.

Then, once the car was sliding, they turned the wheel, usually between an eighth and a quarter of a turn to initiate the drift. The car rotated around 180 degrees until they were facing the opposite direction, and then, they could accelerate away.

Voila. The bad guys are left in the dust!

Dee Bryant is a seasoned Hollywood stunt driver with over 100 credits to her name.

*Drift brake is intended for track use only. It should never be used on public roads. See Owner’s Manual for information on use.