15 A-List Actors Who Were Completely Upstaged By Their Stunt Doubles
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Do you really think your favorite action hero is a hero in deed? Celebrities only care about the pretty part of their jobs, or at least most of them. Their stunt doubles do all the dirty work and they take risks with tricky shots to create action scenes (unless we're talking about the daring Tom Cruise, who is world famous for doing risky stunts). Sometimes the resemblance between the two people is a little disappointing, but in other cases you could easily get confused between who is the famous actor and who is the stunt double. Sometimes, movie stars take a break, either because they don't want to mess up their hair or as a precaution in certain risky scenes, and that's when doubles come into play. This is a well-paid job, although in Hollywood film history there have been cases of stuntmen who have hurt themselves while doing their job.
Hollywood productions are managed by huge production companies that invest millions of dollars in making products that return at least three times the amount invested, although it depends a lot on the ambition of the studio. But what is clear is that these productions cannot afford to have their main actors even break a finger, as a serious injury would delay the shooting for a long time. That's why there are stuntmen and stuntwomen in film. The following list is just a handful of these stunt doubles. Can you spot the actor from the double?
Dwayne Johnson And Cousin Tanoai Reed
Dwayne Johnson is one of the most popular and beloved actors in the world. His sense of humor and physique also help him shoot his action scenes, but yes, he also has a double. But he's not just any double, it's his cousin! Tanoai Reed has been playing the actor's double since he first recorded The Scorpion King in 2002. The film, which is a prequel to The Mummy (1999), had, surprisingly, a second part called The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008), although fortunately it did not feature The Rock. His most recent films include Rampage, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Baywatch, The Fate of the Furious, Moana, San Andreas and Hercules.
While Dwayne The Rock Johnson made his foray into film exactly 16 years ago, he was previously famous in wrestling. His achievements as a wrestler include ten World Championships: eight as WWE Champion and two as WCW Champion. But before his time in professional wrestling, The Rock was a member of the NCAA National Championship team in 1990 and graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor's degree in criminology. However, a back injury ended his likely career in the NFL before it began.
Tom Hardy and Buster Reeves
In The Dark Knight Rises, the last film in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, actor Tom Hardy had to physically transform himself to bring to life the bad guy in the film, the big, muscular Bane, a character who had previously been to the movies in Joel Schumacher's forgettable Batman & Robin, with George Clooney as Batman.
The Dark Knight Rises introduces Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), a cunning and morally ambiguous thief, and Bane (Tom Hardy), a mercenary determined to destroy Gotham City who forces an older Bruce Wayne to come out of retirement and become Batman again. This time, for this film, Tom Hardy counted on Buster Reeves as an action double. Reeves was the film's fight coordinator and had been Christian Bale's double in the first two instalments directed by Christopher Nolan. The film received critical acclaim, and several critics considered it one of the best films of 2012, as well as raising more than $100 million worldwide at the box office. Later, the great Tom Hardy returned to work with Christopher Nolan on the excellent war film about World War II, Dunkirk.
Blake Lively and Sarah Friend
It was really dangerous to put the lovely Blake Lively in front of the sharks in the movie The Shallows, so the production looked for a double. Sarah Friend, a 22-year-old Australian swimmer and model, was chosen to double for the actress. She confessed that the test consisted of measuring her entire body: "Everything in me had to be exactly the same as Blake, down to the length of my hands, feet and fingers." The film tells the story of a medical student named Nancy Adams (played by Blake Lively) who decides to travel to a desolate and secret beach in Mexico to surf, but during the course of the trip she is attacked and injured on the leg by a white shark. She manages to stay out of the water, lodging in a rock 180 meters from the shore while being harassed by the shark that is constantly prowling around. Having as her only company a seagull with an injured wing she calls Steven, Nancy will try to keep the wound clean and covered until someone can rescue her. The film was released in 2016, had a budget of approximately $17 million and, unexpectedly, raised more than $117 million, a surprise even for the studio.
Chris Evans and Fran Grillo
The filming of Captain America: Civil War was, as is customary in the large Marvel productions, very hermetic, taking care of all filtrations. But with all this, the first images of the shooting of the film showed a fight between Captain America and Crossbones, but under the masks were not Chris Evans and Fran Grillo, but their action doubles.
Captain America: Civil War is the direct sequel to The Avengers: Age of Ultron. On this occasion, Steve Rogers leads the Avengers in their task of protecting humanity. But following another international incident involving them, political pressure is forcing the creation of an UN-led commission to determine when to turn to this group of superheroes. These are divided into two factions, one led by Steve Rogers and his desire to maintain the Avengers freedom of action in defending humanity, and the other led by Tony Stark and his surprising decision to support UN plans and agencies. The film became a box-office success and received good reviews from critics and the public, making more than $1 billion in the box office against the $250 million film budget. Later, in Avengers: Infinity War, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to prevent Thanos from obtaining the powerful Infinity Stones.
Peter Dinklage Needed A Double For Game Of Thrones
The announcement of an agency looking for a double for the character of Tyrion Lannsiter during filming in Seville, Spain as part of the fifth season of Game of Thrones alerted all fans eager to get snapshots of the series' protagonists. Without a doubt, this character is one of the most beloved of the entire HBO series.
Dinklage was born 48 years ago in Morristown, New Jersey, with a bone growth disorder that would haunt him all his life, but not define him. He suffers from achondroplasia, the most common cause of dwarfism, which caused his height to be 4,4 ft. "When I was young, being short definitely affected me. As a teenager, I was bitter and angry. But as you get older, you realize you just have to have a sense of humor. You know it's not your problem, it's theirs," the actor confessed in an interview a few years ago. A curious fact about the actor is that he is a vegan, a decision he has defended in numerous interviews: "I like animals, all animals. I wouldn't hurt a cat or a dog or a cow or a chicken. And I wouldn't ask anyone else to hurt them for me. That's why I'm vegan."
Michael Douglas And Mike Runyward
Michael Douglas has honored Mike Runyard, his regular double for the past 26 years. After the filming of Ant-Man, the actor uploaded this photo to his Facebook account where the two are featured. In fact, this is the last film in which the famous actor has participated (well, not to mention the sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is about to be released). The film narrates the adventures of thief Scott Lang, who must help his mentor, Dr. Henry Hank Pym (played by the legendary Michael Douglas), safeguard of the mystery of Ant-Man's technology, which allows its user to reduce its size, but increase its strength.
Michael Douglas is a double Oscar winner. He has one as an actor and one as a producer. His real surname is Danilovich, although for his acting career he chose to continue with the artistic surname chosen by his father Kirk. This, however, led to an identity conflict with the native actor Michael John Douglas, which would be resolved by the latter's decision to adopt the artistic surname Keaton. His decision would end up being based on the fact that he did so as a tribute to the renowned silent film actor Buster Keaton.
Carrie Fisher And Sandi Gross
Here we have Carrie Fisher and her double Sandi Gross in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Many young people in that time will never forget those scenes in which Princess Leia Organa is captured by Jabba, forcing her to be her slave and wear a sensual two-piece bikini, as we see in the photo. Undoubtedly, it was one of the most epic moments of the entire saga.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi was the third film released in the series and the sixth in terms of the chronology of Star Wars. Of the original trilogy it was the most criticized film, as many people considered it the most childish for its inclusion of Ewoks. Even so, it was acclaimed by most people, who considered it a great conclusion to the story, which at the time was believed to be the end. This film begins with Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Leia Organa and Chewbacca, who had failed in their attempt to rescue their partner Han Solo from his Carbonite prison and who was in the hands of bounty hunter, Boba Fett, discovering that he has given him to Jabba the Hutt in Tatooine.
Uma Thurman And Zoe Bell
Uma Thurman and her double Zoe Bell were in Kill Bill: Vol.1 (2003). This is the first of two films to be released in cinemas, the second being Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). The film was originally scheduled for a unique premiere, but with a duration of more than four hours, although it was finally separated into two volumes. The film stars Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Sonny Chiba and Daryl Hannah.
The two movies follow a character initially identified as The Bride, a former member of a team of murderers, seeking revenge on her former colleagues who slaughtered members of her wedding party and tried to hurt her and her unborn child. The film is often noted for its style of direction and its homage to cinematic genres such as Hong Kong martial arts films, samurai films, spaghetti western, girls-with-guns and revenge. The journey takes The Bride, played by Uma Thurman, to Japan, where she takes on the yakuza mafia. Both films were directed by the famous filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, and these two films are among the most representative of his filmography which also includes movies like Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight.
Harrison Ford And Vic Armstrong
Once again, a Star Wars participant appears on this list after the legendary Carrie Fisher. The great Harrison Ford and his double Vic Armstrong are photographed for posterity on the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). With a nice message, Ford thanks his double who accompanied him during the shooting of the three official Indiana Jones films. The script was written by Lawrence Kasdan, after a four-day discussion in which he, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas defined the main narrative elements of the plot. The cast consisted of Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliott; the film was shot in England, Tunisia, Hawaii and California. The conception of the film originated when Lucas decided to create a modern version of the 1930s and 1940s serials. The plot describes the adventures of an archaeologist trying to prevent the Nazis from becoming invincible, and to prevent it, he must find the legendary Ark of the Covenant that the troops, led by his enemy René Belloq, are quietly searching for. This was the first film in a trilogy that was later joined by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Lynda Carter And Jeannie Epper
Before Israeli actress Gal Gadot masterfully played Wonder Woman in the 2017 film, Lynda Carter was everyone's crush in the 1970s with the series The New Adventures of Wonder Woman (1975-1979). In the picture we see her next to Jeannie Epper, her double action, and her resemblance is quite significant. If we didn't know Lynda Carter, it would be very difficult for us to know which the real actress is, and which is her double.
The popular television series had its origins in a 1974 television film, which served as one of the pilot episodes, and which would be the basis for the series to be released in 1975. However, a second television film was presented. This time with Lynda Carter as the lead actress and to be titled The New Original Wonder Woman. Previously, the TV movie that was released a year earlier, in 1974, had the title of Wonder Woman, and at that time was starred by the blonde actress Cathy Lee Crosby, which did not leave a good impression with her performance, so Carter was finally selected. This definitive version of the character took its origin following the fidelity to the comic book, in which this origin goes back to the Second World War.
Brad Pitt And
While Brad Pitt earned $13 million for participating in the zombie movie World War Z and established his residence on a luxurious five-star private estate during the shooting, his double - David Paterson - only earned $120 for an 18-hour workday. "Basically, I had to be Brad all day long and copy everything he did on the screen. Brad was there the whole time, and they were recording for several months, so it has quite hard. I got paid $120 per day, but I didn't do it for the money. It has nothing to do with that. I did it to live the experience. If you ask me to do something like this, I can't say no. No autographs and no VIP invitations," Paterson told the Daily Mirror at the time.
World War Z is an adaptation of Max Brooks' novel about a United Nations employee, Gerry Lane (Pitt), who is trying to stop a zombie pandemic. It also shows the technological, military, social, economic and political keys to the great struggle against the undead. Paramount Pictures announced a sequel for 2019. Brad Pitt, who also produces the franchise with his own company, has announced that the director David Fincher is set to lead the World War Z 2.
Kate Beckinsale And Alicia Vela-Bailey
In the photograph we can see Kate Beckinsale having a great time with her double Alicia Vela-Bailey. Dressed in the same body-fitting suit and sunglasses, it's hard to tell them apart. Can you find out which one is the real one and which one is the double?
These were images from the Toronto recording set of the film Total Recall, a remake of the 1990 science fiction classic. The film stars the Irish actor Colin Farell in the famous character the great Arnold Schwarzenegger played before and is accompanied by Beckinsale and Jessica Biel. Beckinsale brings to life Lori, the wife of the forgetful secret agent Doug Quaid, replacing Sharon Stone in the previous film. Set in 2084, chemical warfare ravages the Earth and there is little remaining habitable, which is divided into two territories: United Federation of Britain (Western Europe) and the Colony (Australia). Many residents of the Colony travel to the UFB to work in their factories by a gravitational train, which travels through the Earth. The story centers around a worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), who, tired of his dead-end job and mediocre existence, decides to visit Recall, a virtual entertainment company that implants artificial memories.
Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz
Nowadays the great Tom Cruise is one of the most professionally committed actors in the industry of Hollywoood. You can talk about his worship in the Church of Scientology and how he conducts his public life and marriages, but you can't criticize him at all on his job as an actor. Back when Cruise wasn't a daredevil performing his risk scenes, he and Cameron Diaz starred in Knight & Day. This image is precisely from the film's recording set, and we see the two famous actors along with their doubles, Kimberly Shannon and Casey O'Neill.
The film is about Roy Miller (played by Tom Cruise), a secret agent who "accidentally" meets June Havens (Cameron Diaz) at an airport in Wichita, an unhappy woman in love matters. Roy Miller eventually involves June Havens in an adventure to protect a powerful battery, the key to an infinite source of energy. Along the way, each will be attracted to the other as they travel through many places to avoid being found, in a funny action comedy film. The motion picture was directed by James Mangold, known for directing the The Wolverine (2013) and the sequel Logan (2017), both from the X-Men film franchise.
Nicole Kidman And Alicia Vela-Bailey
In the film Just Go With It, Nicole Kidman had a double for the dancing scenes on stage. Nothing more and nothing less, the chosen one as her stunt was an old acquaintance from this list: Alicia Vela-Bailey. And yes, Hollywood stars don't always need doubles for the most dangerous scenes, but also when their dance floor skills are apparently not what the director needs. The film was released in 2011, had a budget of 80 million dollars and raised nearly 200 million dollars.
Just Go With It is a romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman, as well as model Brooklyn Decker and musician Dave Matthews. Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling wrote the script and Dennis Dugan, who has collaborated with Sandler on most of his films including Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan and Grown Ups does as director. The film is based on the 1969 film, Cactus Flower, which was adapted from a Broadway play by Abe Burrows, which in turn was based on the French play Fleur de Cactus. You can’t expect much from this movie, since it is starred by the overrated Adam Sandler.
Robert Pattinson And Paul Darnell
The protagonist of the Twilight saga has, like almost all big actors, someone to replace them for the dangerous and action scenes. On this case, his name is Paul Darnell, and he is the one who accompanied Pattinson through the entire saga of vampire movies in the five films: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Part 2.
It's hard to forget one of the most important scenes from the first film of the series, when James tricks Bella into going to his old ballet school, where Edward manages to get there just in time to rescue her and a fight breaks out between the two vampires. Due to the complexity of the scenes, Robert Pattinson, the protagonist of the film, had to use a double and Paul Darnell was in charge of doing this job, and he did it well. We can remember that in one of the MTV Movie Awards the scene between Edward and James (Cam Gigandet) won the Best Fight award. The British actor, during his speech at the award ceremony, thanked Paul and said that if it had not been for him, the scenes would not have been so successful and well executed.
References: Daily Mirror, MSN, EOnline
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