16 Real Blockbuster Heroes Who Finally Stepped Out of the Shadows

We all understand that not all movie stars are marvelous enough to jump from 30 meters high and fight like martial arts masters (except Jackie Chan, of course).

But it’s not so easy to see the real heroes who perform such incredible stunts: even official websites are reluctant to talk about the film’s stuntmen.

But nothing can stop Bright Side. And today we present the coolest and the nicest stuntmen from very popular movies.

Jacob Tomuri is Tom Hardy’s understudy.

Jacob Tomuri began his career in the famous The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Avatar.

In Tom Hardy’s latest Mad Max, Legend, and The Revenant, Jacob handled the most dangerous and difficult scenes.

Jacob is involved in Tom’s new project, Venom. Of course, we won’t see the stuntman’s face, but we’ll remember who performs those crazy challenging scenes.

Buster Reeves is Tom Hardy’s and Brad Pitt’s understudy.

Buster Reeves is an actor and a stuntman who performed many tricks in such movies and series as Game of Thrones, Troy, and The Dark Knight.

Buster achieved significant results in karate, and now he uses his skills in the film industry.

In addition, Buster managed to set a record in the Guinness World Records: he kicked a mannequin in its head 218 times in one minute. And it was Reeves who beat his own record and set the new one: 256 kicks.

Tanoai Reed is Dwayne Johnson’s understudy.

Tanoai Reed is an actor, stuntman, and Dwayne’s cousin. We think that makeup artists have very little work to do when these guys play together!

Tanoai also took part in Iron Man II and The Avengers.

Paul Darnell is Robert Pattinson’s understudy.

Playing in movies is just a hobby for Paul Darnell. His passions are parkour and freerunning. He also promotes these activities in the United States.

Handsome Paul "Diddy" Darnell is also the perfect dad and adores his babies.

William Spencer is Andrew Garfield’s understudy.

People say William Spencer doesn’t ride a skateboard but plays with it. And it’s true: this guy mixed skateboarding and parkour.

William became Andrew’s stuntman in The Amazing Spider-Man because he was perfect at skateboarding, looked like Garfield, and was as tall as the actor. We noticed this feature too.

Monique Ganderton is Charlize Theron’s understudy.

Monique Ganderton performs the most difficult stunts for such stars as Sigourney Weaver, Leelee Sobieski, Daryl Hannah, Rebecca Romijn, Famke Janssen, and Charlize Theron. She also acts in movies: she had roles in X-Men: Apocalypse and the Supernatural series.

It’s surprising, but Monique never wanted to be an actress or a stunt performer. She was involved in the modeling business and planned to become a journalist, but she met Sylvester Stallone, and her life changed.

Tara Macken is Cara Delevingne’s and Ruth Negga’s understudy.

Tara Macken is a professional dancer and gymnast. She was born in Kuwait but moved to California and became a stunt performer and actress.

We can see Tara in Sons of Anarchy and Hawaii Five-0. She also performed tricks for Ruth Negga in Preacher and was the second stuntwoman for Cara Delevingne in Suicide Squad.

Alicia Vela-Bailey is Gal Gadot’s, Kate Beckinsale’s, and Shailene Woodley’s understudy.

Everyone liked this cute blonde in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. But Alicia Vela-Bailey’s main job is performing stunts for actresses.

Her first work was with Milla Jovovich in Ultraviolet. Later, Alicia performed tricks for Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, Gal Gadot, Shailene Woodley, and Kate Beckinsale. She also created some stunt scenes in James Cameron’s Avatar.

Horror film directors really appreciate Alicia for her talent to transform into scary characters. We recommend you watch Annabelle 2 and Hostel: Part III if you don’t believe them.

Zoe Bell is Lucy Lawless’s and Uma Thurman’s understudy.

Not many stunt performers start their career at the age of 14. But Zoe Bell, who was a member of the New Zealand gymnastics national team, performed her first stunt when she was quite young. She then took up Taekwondo and decided to dedicate her life to cinema art.

Bell performed stunts in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, where she replaced Lucy Lawless.

She also began to work with Quentin Tarantino, replacing Uma Thurman and other actresses.

Starting from 2007 and Death Proof, Zoe Bell changed her role, and now she stars in many films.

Heidi Moneymaker is Scarlett Johansson’s understudy.

Heidi Moneymaker, as well as many other stunt performers, used to be a gymnast and later became a professional stuntwoman.

Heidi participates in each Marvel movie that Natasha Romanoff, Scarlett Johansson’s hero, appears in. And judging by the number of announced films of this cinematic universe, Moneymaker’s gonna have a really long career.

Bobby Holland is Chris Hemsworth’s understudy.

Bobby Holland seems to be as inspired by Thor’s character as Chris Hemsworth. Long ago, Bobby was a gymnast on a national team. He won lots of gold medals and was even a semi-professional football player

And his sporty past played a crucial role. Bobby spent 4 years becoming a professional stuntman: he trained in kickboxing techniques, took up underwater swimming, and developed other skills.

Bobby Holland has participated in more than 35 films, but we still think he loves working on Thor the most.

Luci Romberg is Drew Barrymore’s, Melissa McCarthy’s, and Peter Dinklage’s understudy.

Luci Romberg is also called Iron Luci thanks to her invincible will and great desire to be better in men’s sports: freerunning and parkour. Though she dedicates most of her life to her hobbies, stunting in films is a very important part of her career.

Luci worked with Melissa McCarthy in Ghostbusters, Drew Barrymore in the Santa Clarita Diet series, and Peter Dinklage in The Boss.

Kiran Shah is Elijah Wood’s understudy.

Many people may know this actor who performed in many Star Wars movies.

But Kiran Shah isn’t just an actor: he’s also a professional stunt performer. He’s even mentioned in the Guinness World Records as "the shortest professional stuntman currently working in films."

It was Shah who replaced Elijah Wood during some scenes in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Mike Carpenter is Jared Padalecki’s understudy.

Mike Carpenter, as well as other members of the Supernatural cast, will always be a part of this happy family.

Mike also stars in movies: we can enjoy his acting in Watchmen and other series.

Will Erichson is Ryan Reynolds’s understudy.

Will Erichson is totally immersed in the Deadpool 2 shooting and spends all his time on the set — he performs various dangerous tricks instead of Ryan Reynolds.

You can also see him in Wayward Pines and Supernatural.

Mark Slaughter is Gwendoline Christie’s and Alexander Skarsgard’s understudy.

It’s hard to believe (or not if we consider Gwendoline Christie’s height) that there’s one stuntman who performs tricks instead of both Brienne Tarth and Tarzan.

Mark Slaughter was a stuntman on Game of Thrones and Tarzan, and now he’s involved in the popular Outlander series — he replaces Sam Heughan and plays the starring role if needed.

Do you think that these people shouldn’t be in the shadow of the actors they replace? We believe the audience should know who is involved in the filming process. Do you agree? Share with us!