20+ Movie Stunts That Didn't End Too Well

While Sylvester Stallone was shooting the classic Rocky IV, he insisted on making everything look as realistic as possible. There's no denying that it would make for a more believable film. Still, sometimes it's best to use a stunt double! Stallone asked co-star and on-screen rival Dolph Lundgren to punch him in the face as hard as he could. Lundgren obliged, and Stallone was sent to the ICU for an entire week!

Michael J. Fox didn't mind doing his own stunts for Back to the Future Part III. That is, until a scene where he was supposed to be hanged went horribly wrong. A rope malfunction resulted in the actor suffocating for real before the director noticed and had him cut down! Fox's panic looked so authentic, however, that the filmmakers kept the shot in the movie. How's that for cinema vérité?

Stunt double Olivia Jackson had been part of the major blockbusters Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: A Force Awakens. But it was while working on Resident Evil that she crashed her motorcycle into a crane-mounted camera. Suffering a spine injury, Jackson was placed in an induced coma for 17 days, and her left arm was amputated. Although she successfully sued those responsible, the mishap changed her life forever.

In the magic-centered movie Now You See Me, Isla Fisher was supposed to be "trapped" in a water tank. However, her performance was so convincing that the crew didn't realize she was actually drowning. Apparently, she had gotten tangled on a chain inside the trick box. Fortunately, she was able to get herself to safety.

Stunt man Laird Hamilton performed plenty of tricks on a jet ski for Waterworld — but then his vehicle ran out of gas! This left him stranded for hours in the open ocean, and eventually the U.S. Coast Guard had to get involved in his rescue. He was a legendary surfer, and perhaps those skills helped him survive.

For an action scene in The Avengers, Jeremy Fitzgerald had to fall 30 feet. If the fall wasn't risky already, there was a jagged rain gutter below that could make a wrong move a deadly one. When he began the stunt, Fitzgerald stumbled and fell onto some bricks. Despite tearing off some of his scalp, Fitzgerald considered it a flesh wound and continued working.

For a Romancing the Stone sequence where a car was sent over a waterfall, stuntmen Terry Leonard and Vince Deadrick Jr. were supposed to jump away from the vehicle and the whirlpool below. During filming, though, Leonard's jumping platform broke, and he fell into the water. Deadrick Jr. was left stunned when he hit the water. Fortunately, a rescue crew saved them both.

For this Bond movie's opening car chase, performer Aris Comninos rode as a passenger in one of the pursuing vehicles. Without warning, his vehicle hit another and then broke through a guard wall, dangling the car over the edge of a 50-foot drop. Rescuers bolted to ensure Comninos and his driver weren't still in the car if it went over. His driver was left in better condition, as Comninos fell into a short-term coma.

Jennifer Lawrence has had some big scares when it comes to stunts. And danger can come from the most innocent-looking props on set. During the production of The Hunger Games, a smoke machine malfunctioned, and Lawrence nearly suffocated to death. We can all breathe a sigh of relief — she's just fine now.

When filming Django Unchained, Leonardo DiCaprio got a little too involved in his performance as sadistic plantation owner Calvin Candie. He slammed his hand down on a table, which was made of glass, and he sliced up his hand. Like a true pro, he acted through the pain, and the scene made it into the final film — bloody hand and all!

Stunt performer Lisa McCullough belonged to the team that chased down Michael J. Fox's lead character on hoverboards, culminating in a crash into a clocktower. After a few failed attempts, McCullough said she wouldn't perform the stunt anymore. Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon took over. She hit one of the pillars and fell 30 feet onto concrete. She survived, but with facial injuries.

It wasn't 300 that saw Gerard Butler come in harm's way. The actor was filming a movie about professional surfers called Chasing Mavericks when a 20-foot wave knocked him down, pulled him under the choppy water, and nearly drowned him. That's what happens when you do your own stunts! Needless to say, however, that mishap didn't discourage the performer.

While Halle Berry was doing her time as a Bond girl in the Pierce Brosnan flick Die Another Day, she saw one romance scene go terribly wrong. After popping some food in her mouth, she choked on a piece of fruit and nearly suffocated. Thankfully, Brosnan saved the day with a Heimlich maneuver that would surely impress MI6.

Uma Thurman had a major close call on the set of Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. A van parked behind her began to roll downhill, and it nearly crushed her. Thankfully, Pierce Brosnan was her costar — and just like with Halle Berry in Die Another Day — he came to the rescue, jumping into the van and stopping it.

Gilligan's Island told the story of a shipwrecked group of oddballs trapped on an island together. Bob Denver played the titular Gilligan, who was forever getting into all sorts of trouble. Denver himself had some trouble on set, too. Once, in a scene with a lion, the animal lunged to attack him. Thankfully, the animal's trainer tackled it in mid-air. That close call could have meant curtains for the actor!

During a scene in Inglorious Basterds, Diane Kruger was supposed to be choked by Christoph Waltz's character, who was just off-screen. Director Quentin Tarantino did the honors and stepped in for a little hand cameo, but he went a bit too far. Before anyone knew what was happening, Tarantino had choked Kruger so tightly that she actually passed out! Thankfully, she quickly came to — but not before giving everyone else on the set a real fright.

It turns out that Jesse Pinkman was in even more danger than AMC was willing to admit. While filming Breaking Bad, actor Aaron Paul felt uneasy standing directly beneath a prominent boulder. He asked to move, and as soon as he was given permission and did, the boulder fell exactly where he had been standing.

Jackie Chan is known for his prowess when it comes to the wild stunts in his action-packed movies. However, that doesn't mean he's immune to his own fair share of very close calls. While shooting one of his early films, Police Story, Chan was meant to jump off a roof and slide down a pole. He made a major misstep in the process and broke part of his back and dislocated his pelvis. Ouch!

Lead actor and stunt artist Dylan O’Brien had to jump from one vehicle to another for Maze Runner: The Death Cure, but he wasn't successful. The star of the film was dragged underneath the first vehicle, and he suffered fractures to his cheekbones and orbital sockets as well as a concussion. His severe injuries postponed the film's release.

While shooting the hit TV show Lost, Matthew Fox had a scene where he was supposed to be stabbed with a fake, collapsible knife. So imagine the shock he got when the knife didn't collapse at all! The prop department mixed up its weaponry, though thankfully Fox came out of the ordeal pretty much unscathed. That was because the stunt team wasn't taking any chances; they made sure that they put the actor in a special protective suit beforehand that took the brunt of the knife's blow.

Gabriela Cedillo wasn't a double, but an extra. For one scene, she needed to drive her car down the highway while the stunt performers weaved in and out of traffic. During her drive, a cable snapped and smashed Cedillo's windshield, striking her in the head and causing several injuries. The day before, the stunt had failed in the same way. She won $18 million in a lawsuit.

Acting is just like riding a bike: sometimes it's extremely dangerous. Just ask Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In Premium Rush, he played a daredevil bicycle messenger who zipped through the crowded streets of New York City. He did most of his own cycling... until he ran into a taxi cab and required more than 30 stitches. Yikes!

This one is truly terrifying. When Charlize Theron was filming the sci-fi movie Æon Flux, she fell during a stunt and landed on her neck. As a result, she was in the hospital for eight weeks, and doctors actually suspected she might never walk again. Thankfully, they were wrong, and the star made a stunning recovery.

In The Hangover Part ll, Scott McLean performed a scene as the double for Ed Helms' character. With McLean's head out a taxi window, the stunt driver erred and hit another vehicle, giving the stunt performer a gash on the head. He survived and sued both the producers and Warner Bros.

Meet Larry Rippenkroeger, who was Bruce Willis' stunt double. He went over a fire escape and fell 25 feet before hitting the pavement. He suffered broken bones in his face, fractured wrists, and broken ribs, all of which resulted in a temporary production shut down. Willis was by his side as the stuntman healed. It's actually not unusual for an A-lister and his stuntman to form such a closer bond either.

Affleck caused an internet frenzy while pictured filming Triple Frontier thanks to the super-sized back tattoo that even his past and future girlfriend J.Lo seemed not to rate. But he also made everyone do a double-take after uploading a pic to Instagram of his stunt double during the Netflix movie shoot. The actor captioned a selfie of his lookalike Rich Cetrone, “Grateful to work with such incredible people.”

Few stunt doubles have to spend more time working out than Bobby Hanton. After all, he’s been standing in for one of the most ripped men in Hollywood for years. Yes, Hanton not only has to train twice as hard to build the same physique as Thor’s Liam Hemsworth, he has to eat no fewer than eight solid meals every single day when called upon, too.

You might not think that HBO’s zeitgeist-defining dramedy Girls would require any stunt doubles. But actually, there have been several occasions when its leading lady Lena Dunham has had to rely on Dakota Brown. Alongside a playful Instagram snap of the pair, the actress explained, “No, this is not a remake of Multiplicity. It is my stunt double Dakota and me. Any time I need to crash a car or fly off a bike, this... [intrepid heroine] appears.”

Seems like Casey Michaels appreciated working alongside Kata Mara on Morgan. Captioning a Facebook photo of the pair looking like long-lost Beatles, the stunt double wrote, “It was my absolute pleasure to double this extraordinary human again. So much fun to work with. She put everything into the fight training and rehearsals. A true ninja.” Michaels also stood in for Mara on The Martian, describing the astronaut suit she had to wear as her all-time favorite costume.

We don’t envy any of the stunt doubles who had to face all the Game of Thrones carnage. But Dan Euston, who stood in for one of the show’s biggest names Kit Harington, appeared to have a blast. He captioned an Instagram post of himself in full Jon Snow cosplay alongside the real deal, “What an experience from start to finish! Cold nights in Winterfell to eating donuts in King’s Landing. Very proud to have been a part of this!”

Hasit Savani sure seemed to enjoy his time working on the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin. The stunt double’s Instagram account is dominated with pics taken on the set of Guy Ritchie’s box-office smash. And Savani had nothing but kind words to say about the man he represented, too. He captioned a smiley pic of himself alongside leading man Mena Massoud, “My brother from another mother... (and father). An absolute gentleman and a pleasure to work with.”

Megan Le appears to have forged a special kind of friendship with the Hollywood star she regularly portrays. Take the Instagram post, in which the stunt double paid a glowing tribute to Jack Reacher and Avengers actress Cobie Smulders, for example. Le thanked the “awesome woman” for proving that moms can prosper in the showbiz world, referencing the “grounded, strong, authentic female energy that spoke to my same energy that was buried inside waiting to be freed.”

“Focused energy.” That’s how stunt double Nick Loren described his and John Travolta’s mean and moody expressions in a throwback Instagram snap. The pair were shooting 2013 thriller Killing Season alongside Robert De Niro in Atlanta at the time. And the hashtag #coldweather explains why they were both sporting woolly hats, thick green coats and impressive beards.

You might not know her fabulous name. But Heidi Moneymaker has been integral to Marvel’s ever-expanding cinematic universe since 2010. Yes, whenever Black Widow is called into death-defying action, Scarlett Johansson hands over to her longtime and incredibly athletic stunt double. Moneymaker used to be a title-winning gymnast before joining the comic book world in Iron Man 2.

Heidi Moneymaker isn’t the only member of her family with a career in stuntwork. Her sister Renae is also in the business and the pair have worked together on the likes of Avengers: Infinity War and Captain Marvel. But while Heidi was aged up to look like Marilyn Brett in the latter, Renae was tasked with doubling for the film’s lead Brie Larson. 

Out of all the Hollywood action stars, Bruce Willis’ look is arguably the easiest to recreate. All you need to do is shave your head, throw on a casual shirt and sport a pair of Ray-Bans. The producers of 2009’s Cop Out no doubt had little problem finding not just one but two stunt doubles who could easily convince as the real thing.

We pity anyone who has to follow Mark Wahlberg’s fitness regime while serving as a stunt double. The muscle man made everyone gasp in 2018 when he posted his usual training routine online. For it included a 2.30am start, a 7.30pm bedtime and a ridiculously regimented array of gym workouts, meals and cryogenic chamber sessions. But his Transformers: Age of Extinction stand-in Dan Mast appeared more than up for the challenge.

Monica Braunger Hudson had spent more than a decade standing in for Zooey Deschanel. So the New Girl star tried to pay things forward when she asked fans to help the stunt double out in a time of need. Deschanel explained on her social media accounts that Braunger Hudson and her husband were struggling to make ends meet since the latter was diagnosed with a nervous system disease. She then directed followers toward a GoFundMe account set up for the pair.

With 15 years on air, Supernatural is officially among the most enduring sci-fi dramas in the history of U.S. television. Good job, then, that co-star Jared Padalecki got on with his long-running stuntman. Speaking to website Changing Channels, Michael Carpenter revealed, “Jared and I hit it off right out of the gate. We both share a little bit of the same personality type by nature. We like to work, we like to joke around and don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

“Triple-threat Monday,” Ellie Kemper captioned a snap of herself on the set of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in 2019. And she wasn’t wrong. The actress was sandwiched in-between two carbon copies of her go-getting lead character. Kemper also used the hashtag #femalesarestrongashell, a lyric from the Netflix sitcom’s insanely catchy theme tune, in the pic. Even her mom may have struggled to tell the difference.

For many avid viewers of American Horror Story, Lily Rabe has been the true MVP of the Ryan Murphy anthology. The actress certainly has a fan in her stunt double, that’s for sure. Kimberly Shannon Murphy captioned an Instagram picture of the pair wearing full nun habits, “One of my favorite humans.”

If you’re a gymnastics fan then you may well have seen Nicholas Daines on the pommel horse or parallel bars at some point. The athletic talent once competed in the sport for Team GB! These days he’s more likely to be on a film or TV set than in a gymnasium. Daines has stood in for several Hollywood stars as a stunt double including Mike Pearce in Netflix drama The Innocents.

You get two very different stunt doubles for the price of one in this Instagram pic. Here, 12 Monkeys stars Amanda Schull and Aaron Stanford show who really does all the action-packed work in the sci-fi drama. Yes, when it comes to running and leaping about, the former is substituted by Jen Murray, while the latter is replaced by Geoff Scovell.

Even with their face masks on, it’s still easy to spot the similarities between Candace Cameron Bure and her stunt double Louise Hradsky. The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries lead shared this snap while filming How to Con a Con. Though you can’t see them in this crop of the image, she was also joined by co-star Ellie Harvey and her lookalike. Who knew that the cozy Hallmark Channel needed so many stuntwomen?

Ryan Handley has quite the impressive resume when it comes to superhero films. The stuntman has crossed cinematic universes to appear in everything from Suicide Squad to Shazam. And he pulled double duty in the latter, too. As well as playing Superman – with his head out of shot – in the final frame, Handley also stood in for leading man Zachary Levi.

With her bushy red hair, Natasha Lyonne became one of the most recognizable cast members of Orange is the New Black. And she kept her striking appearance when she was given her very own Netflix show, Russian Doll, too. This no doubt made it easy for the two stunt doubles, Alexa Marcigliano and Becca GT, that Lyonne was given while filming for a scene in Tompkins Square Park to copy her signature look.

Gal Gadot may have had a martial arts expert at hand while filming Wonder Woman. But Caitlin Dechelle told ESPN that the actress was more than willing to get stuck in herself, too. The lookalike said, “She picked up quite well. Obviously, anytime you do something you’ve never done, it’s tough, but [Gadot] had such a willingness to learn and was always upbeat.”

Alicia Vela-Bailey is one of those rare stunt performers who have managed to make the transition to fully-fledged actor. The multi-talented star has played characters in The Purge, Hostel 3 and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. over the years. You may not know that she’s also pulled double duty on the last of these by standing in for another character, Adrienne Palicki’s Bobbi Morse.

Vela-Bailey got the chance to show off her action skills while standing in for Charlize Theron in 2010. But it wasn't for a Hollywood film. The stunt double helped the South African star to kill several ninjas before rescuing Brandon Flowers in the video for his debut solo single “Crossfire.”

As possibly the hardest-working body double in showbiz, chameleon Vela-Bailey has also stood in for Shailene Woodley on the Divergent franchise. Yes, the daredevil counts the jump from 66 feet without wires in the first film of the series as the most thrilling stunt of her career. Rather her than us!

Tony Angelotti knows all too well about the perils of being a celebrity doppelganger. While filling in for Johnny Depp on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, the Florida native claimed to have suffered internal bleeding and injuries to his knees, legs and pelvis in a “human yo-yo stunt” that, he alleged, went wrong. Yikes.

Stunt veteran Billy Lucas has filled in for Arnold Schwarzenegger for most of the action hero’s career. And often while wearing a prosthetic mask to make the swap even more convincing. True Lies, Kindergarten Cop and Eraser are just some of the films Lucas has appeared in, all while appearing uncannily similar-looking to the Austrian Oak.

Those enamored by Tom Hardy’s brooding good looks will no doubt be delighted to find out that there’s another man who’s the spitting image of the British actor. That man is Jacob Tomuri. The New Zealander did most of the star’s death-defying stunts on box office smash Mad Max: Fury Road.

Sarah Franzl certainly suffered for her art while doubling for Kate Winslet in the phenomenon that was Titanic. The stunt double had to spend hours on end standing in freezing cold water while fully clothed during the shoot. But Franzl admits that one advantage of the ordeal is that she got to know Winslet pretty well.

Skateboarding stuntman William Spencer was personally selected by the rising star he stood in for on The Amazing Spider-Man. And that honor meant that the Texan got to wear the famous skintight Spidey costume, after Andrew Garfield asked him to help the webbed wonder become a skating wizard. Lucky dude...

Finding a perfect body double is tricky when the A-lister in question is little over five feet tall. Just ask Reese Witherspoon! Mind you, 5’2” inch Marny Eng, who filled in for the Oscar winner in 2015 comedy Hot Pursuit, proved that stunt people can come in all shapes and sizes.

Wrestler-turned-movie star Dwayne Johnson bears a stronger resemblance to his regular stunt double than most – and for good reason. That’s because the man who has filled in for the star in over a dozen movies – including his acting debut in 2002’s The Scorpion King – is none other than his cousin Tanoai Reed. Handy, right?

Oscar-winner Colin Firth is renowned for appearing in period dramas and rom-coms. So the star inevitably needed a little assistance when he made a rare foray into action cinema in Kingsman: The Secret Service. That help arrived courtesy of stuntman Rick English – who, after donning the same bespoke suit and thick-rimmed glasses, looked exactly like the British actor.

The Chris Pratt that appeared on Parks and Recreation may have borne little resemblance to stuntman Tony McFarr. But that all changed after the A-lister lost 60 pounds in just six months. Yes, the Chris Pratt that appeared in 2015’s Jurassic World could have been mistaken for McFarr’s equally handsome brother.

Bryce Dallas Howard was another Jurassic World star given her own lookalike to help out during the film’s more action-packed scenes. The body double in question was Whitney Coleman, a stuntwoman with over four dozen credits to her name. And while donning her red wig, it was impossible to tell the pair apart. 

Michael Douglas and his stuntman Mike Runyard have worked together for nearly three decades on films like The Game and Ant-Man. The Hollywood legend and his body double have also become good friends off camera – and no doubt make everyone do a double take whenever they take to the golf course.

Anthony Molinari has doubled for numerous Hollywood heartthrobs over the years, including George Clooney, Ryan Phillippe and Dermot Mulroney. His most enduring working relationship, though, has been with lookalike Mark Ruffalo. Molinari has filled in for the star in movies such as Reservation Road, The Avengers and Now You See Me.

“If you learn to talk, I’m in deep trouble.” That was the message that Harrison Ford gave to his spitting image Vic Armstrong, after the veteran stuntman stepped into his shoes for the most dangerous scenes in the first three Indiana Jones films. And after taking a look at the pair together, we can totally see why.

David Decio didn’t just play the Chief Snatcher in the second installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Oh no: he also donned a ginger wig to stand in for Rupert Grint, a.k.a. the other boy wizard Ron Weasley, throughout the hugely popular fantasy franchise. How’s that for multitasking?