Whether it’s a script requirement or to operate in total safety, stunt doubles or stunt doubles in action movie productions are now part of the cast. In some cases it is very difficult to notice the substitution in a particular scene, in some it is very clear!
Stunts are usually athletes and experts in various disciplines. And here then the experts in martial arts or professional dancers are hired to shoot the scenes in which the technique has the better of the acting.
Not all relationships between the two professions are always idyllic, over time it happened that the stunts felt somehow obscured or not sufficiently recognized in parts that have become iconic or famous.
On the other hand, not everyone is Jackie Chan , a very famous actor who, by his own admission, often personally shoots dangerous scenes, but who has created a close-knit personal stunt team , which now follows him everywhere. Are you ready to find out who wore the athletic shoes of the stars ?
Let’s see together the similarities between the stunts and these famous actors portrayed during the shoot:
1) Robert Pattinson
The actor made famous by the Twilight saga had to face some action scenes while filming the famous trilogy: the jaw-dropping similarities are not always necessary, but it is important that the physique is almost identical to make the scene at its best. In this case the vampire complexion helps and therefore the make-up is part of him too!
2) Brad Pitt
One of the most loved actors in Hollywood , and most talked about, but a true champion also in the dramatic parts, Brad Pitt in the original version and with double, during the shooting on the set. Not only the clothes must be identical, the haircut also counts , which in this case is replicated thanks to the use of wigs (beautiful or not … you decide)!
3) Natalie Portman
An iconic role like the one in Black Swan has made Natalie Portman even more famous, if possible. The ballet scenes included in the film saw the presence of an exceptional double, the dancer Sarah Lane , soloist of the American Ballet Theater. To post-film interviews, which saw production and director compliment Portman for dancing in nearly every scene, Sarah Lane responded with a different take . There is no doubt that however, from the videos released that portray the actress during rehearsal , that Natalie Portman has spared herself and worked to make the part as good as it can be. We like them both.
4) Uma Thurman
A film like Kill Bill Vol.1 cannot fail to include a stunt double, in reality in the film there are more than one for each actress involved. Zoe Bell , who in the film is the stunt double of the protagonist Uma Thurman , is a famous New Zealand stuntwoman. During the filming of Quentin Tarantino’s film she appears to have sustained injuries and she was hospitalized for several months. Bell’s skill has been rewarded with many awards dedicated to stunts : the Taurus World Stunt Awards.
5) Carrie Fisher
In this case, we see the much loved and recently deceased Star Wars actress on set with her stunt double Tracey Eddon. Carrie Fisher in the role of her more famous than her, Princess Leia (in Italian version Leila) knew how to enchant fans of the saga with her magnetism and skill during action scenes… but do you remember this costume ? It too has become an icon and replicated on many occasions.
6) Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz with the doubles
Tom Cruise is famous for wanting to play even the most dangerous scenes personally. Considering that the most famous films in which he appears are high in adrenaline , one cannot fail to suspect that he makes use of stunts, but only in very special cases! Remember the opening scene of Mission Impossible 2 , directed by John Woo? The actor worked for each scene with stunt Ron Kauk, climbing a steep cliff 600 feet high with his bare hands. In this scene stolen from the set, Cameron Diaz and their stunt doubles during the filming of “Innocenti bugie”.
