The action genre is the most demanding in the Hollywood industry, especially for stuntmen. But instead of giving the stunt performers all the hard work, some actors prefer to do the stunts on their own.
With this, it’s clear that acting is no child’s play. Some of the actors have gone beyond performing their roles. From losing and gaining weight to performing their own movie stunts, some actors try very hard to maintain authenticity on-screen. Here are three of those actors who have risked their lives to do the same.
Jackie Chan
If doing own stunts was an Olympic sport, Jackie Chan would have a gold medal. Chan is the best to fetch it. Not only is he a martial arts maestro, but he has also pulled off some of the deadliest stunts. In the case of The Climbers star, the actor does the stunts while making you laugh.
Chan has taken falling to a whole new level. Clock towers, towering buildings, moving buses, parking garages—name it any, he has hung, jumped, and even fallen from all these. And while doing so, he sustained injuries, including fractures, burns, electrocution, and numerous concussions.
Tom Cruise
After Jackie Chan, next comes Tom Cruise. At the age of 60, he still does his own stunts flawlessly and for him, age is just a number. Cruise has done some of the biggest stunts in the history of cinema.
In the Mission: Impossible franchise alone, he hanged off airplanes, free-falled from the sky, and cliff-dived with a motorcycle – it’s like a walk in the park for him. Looks like, he got a license to drive, fly, and pilot anything with wheels or wings.
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves is a dedicated superstar who has practiced jujutsu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, and tactical shooting. The actor is also known for his martial arts chops, which are also visible in The Matrix, John Wick movies, and the underrated film Man of Tai Chi.
As per the actor himself, he claims to have performed 90-95% of stunts in the first two John Wick movies. Reeves handles numerous action scenes and performs all the gun-fu, throws, and kills himself all on his own.
Actors Who Don’t Do Their Own Stunts
There are actors like Keanu Reeves who feel doing their own stunts is just “awesome.” But not everyone shares this enthusiasm for risking life. Here’s a list of actors who prefer to leave the heart-stopping leaps to the professionals.
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson is not open to the whole “doing your own stunts” craze. According to him, it’s a risky business. “Why would I do that? If you want a long career, you don’t do all that stuff. You’re gonna get hurt. Something’s gonna happen. You’re gonna twist an ankle, break a nail, something. No, you do as little as you can,” the actor told Access Hollywood (via Looper). So, yes. Jackson prioritizes his life over action-packed stunts.
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson doesn’t perform his own stunts. Instead, his cousin, Tanoai Reed, handles The Rock’s stunts in his projects.
He once told Netflix, “I have. I’ve been doing this for 26 years, and I’ve been with Dwayne for 20 years. I’ve had several injuries: a broken heel, torn shoulder, fractured ankle, almost lost my arm. It’s part of the job.” Now, it’s not a secret that Reed is the man behind Johnson’s stunts for over 20 years.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds used to perform his own stunts, but he stopped doing so after a while because it began to impact his health.
“I remember the doctor sitting in the office — it was about the seventh time I had been there that year — and he writes on a prescription pad, rips off the note, and it reads ‘Stuntman.’ Point taken. So now I use four different guys that come with me,” he shared with Empire. During the filming of 2012’s Safe House, the actor suffered an accident that fractured the vertebrae in his neck.
