Acting, as a profession, sometimes calls for the wildest, most mind-blowing things. On its own, acting is quite a hard task, as it takes emotion and professionalism to recreate the scenes of our beloved action movies realistically. Still, there is a list of performers who take their jobs very seriously and give their all by doing the majority of the dangerous stunts themselves.
One of Britney Spears’ most iconic moments was when she went on stage with the albino Burmese python, named Banana, during the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards finale. She showed no signs of fear or hesitation.
Tom Cruise is widely known for performing in the most dangerous action movies, full of eye-catching stunts, like in the Mission Impossible series. He always does his own stunts and doesn’t use a double. His most nerve-wracking stunt was when he was holding on to a flying plane in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. The plane was 5,000 feet above the ground.
Obviously, he was wired to the plane, and all the safety measures provided him protection, but despite these things, it takes a tremendous amount of courage to do this kind of stunt on one’s own.
Even though Cameron Diaz is currently enjoying a break from acting, she has been in extraordinary roles in the past, where she tried to perform as many stunts as producers would possibly allow her to do, like in the Charlie’s Angels films. Diaz doing her own stunts led to more bruises and injuries, but not even this could stop her ambition.
Angelina Jolie, another Oscar-winning actress and star of the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movies, performed most of her dangerous stunts herself. Nowadays, she might be spending a little bit more time behind the cameras, but back when she was actively making movies, she was always a very hands-on actor.
We can tip our hats to Kate Winslet. When filming Titanic, she spent entire days in a specially built water tank representing the sinking ship. And yes, the water was very cold.
But in an interview with Rolling Stone, Winslet said that she preferred the water that way. “I never believe I’ve done my job properly unless I go home feeling that I’ve suffered.” It also made the scene appear more realistic.
On a trip to Dubai, the funny actor, Kevin Hart, decided to participate in the feeding of a tiger that was bigger than him. In his Instagram post, he said, “I can’t believe that I did this...I was scared. The guy said that the tigers can smell fear...I said, ’He’s about to smell something else,’ because I immediately got the bubble guts.”
Kristen Stewart is a compelling character in Hollywood and has always shown bravery while playing her roles. In the movie, Snow White and the Huntsman, despite her fear of horses, she pulled epic stunts, where she had to be in fights and riding horses for the most part.
“She was riding horses, jumping from high precipices into freezing cold water, fighting dwarves — she’s gung ho,” the Snow White and The Huntsmen director said regarding Stewart.
Robert Pattinson got really close with his co-star, a 42-year-old elephant named Tai. They met while filming the movie, Water for Elephants, when a pretty strong connection formed between the Twilight star and the elephant. Pattinson even said he cried on the last day Tai was on set with him.
The internet celebrity, Lele Pons, did what many of us wouldn’t ever consider doing — she swam with an alligator. In an Instagram post, she shared many pics of her experience. She said, “The most amazing experience in the world!! Swimming up close to my #1 favorite animal, if you know me, you know how obsessed I am with alligators and their history!”
Scarlett Johansson, the star of many Marvel movies, is no doormat. Even though she uses a double for the very dangerous stunts, we can say that she became the biggest superhero of 2018. Johansson admitted that the perilous action scenes in her Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier roles were performed by a double, but that’s not all. The actress was pushing herself and doing intense combat training during the filming of these movies.
She said, “That woman hanging 60 feet in the air, taking punches and throwing punches? Well, that’s me. I work out like a dude.”
Which actor’s stunts were the most extreme, in your opinion? What do you think of celebrities doing dangerous stunts instead of their doubles?
Angelina Jolie’s unique parenting style is evident in her family rules. From embracing a non-traditional educational approach to celebrating diversity, she fosters an environment of understanding and acceptance.
In 2022, Tom Cruise was voted “the most attractive actor of all time” by 2,000 mothers worldwide in a survey by Showcase Cinemas. The release of “Top Gun: Maverick” has rekindled admiration for the 60-year-old star, reminiscent of his earlier heartthrob days in films like “Top Gun” and “Cocktail.” The poll also highlighted other beloved actors, with Cruise leading the list, followed by icons like Robin Williams and Tom Hanks. This recognition underscores Cruise’s enduring appeal across generations.
The ones who hanged out with snakes, tigers, or alligators, were done great injustice being in the same list with the one who cried for a baby elephant.
And the ones who risked big or bruised big from their stunts were done great injustice being in the same list with the ones that considered cold water a “torture” or riding horses a “conquer”.
