15 Actors Who Do Their Own Stunts (Besides Tom Cruise And Jackie Chan)

Publish date: 2024-08-25

Although these days we have access to CGI and an option for actors to have stunt doubles, some actors like Tom Cruise and Jackie Chan prefer to do their own stunts however dangerous some may be. A group of other celebs will only attempt bravery for one film and use stunt performers for specific films or scenes. There are a number of reasons why celebs use doubles; of course, the number one reason is that most do not want to injure themselves and risk their careers.

A number of celebrities also have insurance covers, which means that if they injure themselves on purpose or by putting themselves in harm’s way, they do not get a dime of their policy money. Thirdly, stunt doubles have professional experience and stamina to perform dangerous acts. However, as important as they are, they are also costly and they add to a film’s budget.

The list of actors we're going to look at don't mind putting their stunt doubles out of work in order to experience a little rush of adrenaline.

15 Jason Statham Did Almost All Of His Stunts In The Transporter

English actor and producer, Jason Statham, actually did most of his stunts in The Transporter, which included a lot of car chases, dives, and fights. This just goes to show how impressive his skills are, since the stunts his characters are involved in are usually outstanding. He has played leading roles in the action-packed thriller series The Transporter, The Mechanic, and Fast and Furious.

14 Are We Really Surprised That Arnold Schwarzenegger Rarely Uses Stunt Doubles?

ScreenRant explains that Arnold Schwarzenegger rarely makes use of doubles. Being one of the strongest and well-built individuals in his day, it makes sense why he insisted on doing everything himself. He has appeared in many films and mostly as a lead character. He started as a professional bodybuilder, moved to acting then ventured into politics as well.

13 Surprise Surprise, Even Kristen Stewart Made The List

Kristen’s name on this list is definitely a pleasant surprise because, despite her innocent looks, she truly is a tough girl. Although some scenes are uncomfortable to shoot, Kristen enjoys doing her own stunts as confirmed by her comment on Cheatsheet, where she describes such moments as "awesome", and the viewers also agree.

12 Keanu Reeves IS John Wick

Keanu Reeves, whose characters mostly go by the name John, was not much of a bookworm. IMDb confirms that he has done most of the stunts in John Wick. Luckily, he had a stepdad in the entertainment industry when he was growing up that helped him get a very good manager who he is still with today.

11 Sylvester Stallone Was Seriously Injured While Performing A Stunt On The Expendables

73-year-old actor Sylvester Stallone is showing no sign of slowing down since he started acting in 1970. Although he sometimes uses stunt doubles, Complex says he sometimes tries out stunts, which led him to break his neck while filming The Expendables. He has appeared in a number of successful films, among them franchises such as Creed, Rambo, and The Expendables.

10 Cameron Diaz Was A Tough Girl Growing Up, So What Are A Few Stunts?

Although she mostly appears in rom coms, Cameron is just as good an actress when it comes to performing stunts in an action movie. Ranker confirms that Cameron did most of her stunts in Knight and Day. The movie star was always tough growing up and can persevere through a few challenging scenes.

9 Harrison Ford's Stuntman On Indiana Jones Almost Got No Salary

Harrison Ford did a majority of his stunts in the series of Indiana Jones films. Cheatsheet reports that he enjoyed doing his stunts so much that his stuntman had to intervene. Harrison could get hurt doing some of the dangerous stunts. The double had to also point out to Harrison that he would not receive any salary if Harrison continued to do all the work.

RELATED: 20 Actors Who Hurt Themselves Doing Their Own Stunts

8 Josh Hutcherson Did His Stunts And Is Now Into Directing

Josh Hutcherson is maximizing on his youthfulness by performing his own stunts, as Suggest disclosed. He is popular from his role as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games films and has even received an MTV Movie Award for his appearances in the films. The young actor is also interested in directing and filming.

7 Angelina Jolie Used Her Stunts To Get Back In Shape After Pregnancy

Angelina Jolie is not afraid to get down and get dirty. AMC disclosed that the mom looked forward to training for her stunts as it helped her get back into shape especially after her pregnancies. Although she has recently taken a more laid back role, behind the cameras, Jolie rarely made use of stuntmen for movies such as Salt.

RELATED: 18 Embarrassing Pics Of Actors And Stunt Doubles Who Look Nothing Alike

6 Matt Damon Could Be A Real-Life Jason Bourne

Matt Damon aka Jason Bourne could not risk failing at his own stunts; Complex says he took time to undergo training on weapons and combat. The source also confirms that the movie star has done most of the driving in the Bourne series. Damon had to also learn boxing and what is referred to as Filipino Escrima just to make his roles even more amazing.

5 Daniel Craig's Front Teeth Know How Tough It Is Being 007

Most people know Daniel Craig as the British spy James Bond. ScreenRant reveals that Craig’s front teeth were once accidentally hit while performing a stunt. Craig has come a long way from busting tables to being a big action movie star. He takes his work very seriously including his stunts in the Bond movies.

4 Liu Yifei Did 90% Of Her Stunts In Mulan

Not only did the movie Mulan employ a tough capable actress, but it also hired women to run the set. BusinessInsider confirms that Liu Yifei did 90% of her own stunts. The same source continues to describe a battle scene in the movie, which it says was real and confirms that it was not created using CGI.

RELATED: 10 Actors Who Refuse To Do Their Own Stunts (And 10 Who Are Game)

3 Christian Bale's Skill-Set Is Too Wide To Let Others Do All His Stunts

Complex discloses that Christian Bale is an expert in martial arts and more specifically, what is known as Keysi. The knowledge in Keysi, which he learned when filming Batman Begins, has helped him manage his fight scenes like the pro he is. However, Bale lets his doubles do high jumps, drive the Bat-Mobile and operate the Bat-Pod.

2 Burt Reynolds Almost Drowned After Breaking His Tailbone While Performing A Stunt

LiveAbout describes an incident where the late actor Burt Reynolds almost drowned after he broke his tailbone filming the 1972 movie, Deliverance. Reynolds was a professional stuntman and had for the longest time worked hard to market stunt actors who could play out their movie roles without requiring doubles.

1 Steve McQueen Was An Adrenaline Junkie, Enough Said

Steve McQueen was another legend at performing his own stunts in the 1960s. He was particularly good at high-speed motorcycle and car chases. He never used stuntmen in such scenes. McQueen was also an adrenaline junkie, LiveAbout claims that he also performed other dangerous scenes like jumping off a cliff.

NEXT: Stunt Woman Lost Arm On The Job & Her Compensation Doesn’t Even Pay Her Medical Bills

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