Tom Cruise Aside, Here Are 5 Actors Who Pulled Off the Craziest Stunts Themselves
There are no impossible missions when you are this dedicated to the craft.
The acting career is as dangerous as it is fun and glamorous. Not to mention all the mental struggles that usually come with fame, many actors have to undergo some crazy physical changes for their roles or put themselves in harm's way during filming.
Even though there are many very talented stunt doubles who are always ready to offer their services in creating the most epic scenes, some celebrities want to do all the parts of their job from A to Z themselves. It's not just Tom Cruise who deserves respect for his dedication!
Here are five other actors who weren't afraid to get hurt and did their impressive action sequences without stunt doubles.
1. Heath Ledger
Remember the scene in The Dark Knight where the Joker blew up the entire hospital as he walked out? While some may think it was CGI, the crew actually blew up the real abandoned hospital for the movie. And Heath Ledger was inside the building. Even the moment when the Joker paused looking startled was carefully planned in one of the scenarios.
2. Sigourney Weaver
Most of Sigourney Weaver's stunts happened in her Alien days, but she's not afraid to take on a challenge even now. Like all the other actors, Weaver had to take a freediving course and learn to control her breath to film the underwater scenes for Avatar: The Way of the Water.
3. Jason Statham
Jason Statham may be the actor who knows the dangers of stunt work best, as he had a terrifying experience on the set of The Expendables 3. While performing a stunt in-character, the brakes on his speeding truck failed, sending the actor straight into the ocean. It's a real miracle that the actor managed to survive!
4. Harrison Ford
The actor is widely known for his variety of roles in action movies, as well as his willingness to risk his health for some of the stunts. Although some of them were left in the hands of professional stuntmen, there were others he chose to do himself. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny won the actor the title of the oldest stunt-performing actor as well.
5. Angelina Jolie
The actress has always been willing to do as many stunts herself as physically possible, so there are a number of tricky performances throughout her filmography. One of the craziest had to be the action sequence in 2008's Wanted where Jolie shot two guns from the front of a car traveling at 30 mph.