Actresses Who Kick Butt
When it comes to action movies, a great deal of actresses have stunt doubles that do the challenging stuff for them. Not only is it safer, but it also requires a lot less work for the star herself.
However, there are some actresses who prefer the more authentic route, and want to perform their own stunts—in fact, some even demand it!
Here are 30 actresses who kick some major butt in their films.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron fully commits to performing the action sequences in her films. It all started in 2015 while shooting Mad Max: Fury Road.
She also demonstrated her own stunt work in Atomic Blonde, and a few other of her big action hits.
Mad Max: Fury Road(2015), Village Roadshow Pictures
Angelina Jolie
According to Simon Crane, stunt coordinator and frequent collaborator on her movies, Angelina Jolie does nearly all of her own stunts.
In fact, her role as an FBI agent in Salt required her to train in Muay Thai and Krav Maga.
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz is sadly retired from acting, but it’s worth remembering that she always asked to do her own stunts.
In both Charlie’s Angels and Knight and Day, Cameron performed the majority of her own stunts—some leading to small injuries and bruises.
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver’s stunt history is pretty impressive. It all started when the director of Alien asked her to do her own stunts. Since then, its common to find her without a stunt double.
She recently performed a number of underwater stunts for the Avatar sequel.
Alien (1979) , Twentieth Century-Fox Productions
Zendaya
Zendaya performed her own trapeze work in the musical The Greatest Showman. After that, she started performing her own stunts in many of her films, including Euphoria.
Nicole Alexander, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie performed her own fight scenes as Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey. Shes proven to be physically fit on many film sets, including Barbie when she won a plant challenge among the other actors.
Margot is interested in taking her stunts up a notch.
Dc Entertainment, The Suicide Squad (2021)
Ella Balinska
Ella Balinska is another Charlie’s Angels action star who performed her own stunts, including the fight scenes.
Ella is a trained athlete, which she attributes to her stunt skills on set.
Columbia Pictures, Charlie's Angels (2019)
Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez has performed many of her own stunts in her career, including many scenes in The Fast and the Furious.
She admits though, she hasn’t done them all, and wants her stunt doubles to get recognition for their impressive work.
Resident Evil (2002), Constantin Film
Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz was only a teenager when she filmed Kick-Ass, but she actually performed the majority of her own stunts.
She claims growing up with many brothers and having gymnastics experience has helped her build her skills as a stunt performer and hopes to continue to do her own stunts as her career expands.
Brie Larson
Brie Larson shocked producers when she did nearly all of her own stunts on Captain Marvel. She trained extensively with personal trainers and professional stunt trainers.
According to Samuel L. Jackson, by the time of filming, Brie could bench 250 pounds, and push a Jeep up a hill.
Captain Marvel, Marvel Studios
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart became known for her role in Twilight. And although the stunts in the film were minimal, Kristen performed them all herself.
And while her acting skills didn’t really impress anyone, her stunt skills did. In fact, it was her ability to do her own stunts that got her cast in Charlie’s Angels and Snow White and the Huntsman—where she also did her own stunts.
Summit Entertainment, Twilight (2008)
Liu Yifei
Liu Yifei is the actress who played Fa Mulan in Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan.
Liu did 90% of her own stunts in the film, even those that took place during a large-scale battle that was filmed without CGI.
Walt Disney Pictures, Mulan (2020)
Elizabeth Olsen
Elizabeth Olsen played Wanda Maximoff, superhero alter ego Scarlet Witch, and in doing so she performed all of her own stunts.
In fact, she suffered a pretty serious bruise to her upper arm while filming a stunt for one of the Avengers movies.
Marvel Studios, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Mariska Hargitay
You may know Mariska Hargitay from the popular television series Law and Order: SVU. She’s also been in a few movies here and there.
Mariska is known to perform her own stunts. In fact, she once suffered a partially-collapsed lung while performing a stunt fall in 2009.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is known for plenty of roles, but her most well-known is probably that of the Russian assassin Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Scarlett performed all of her own stunts in the films, and her combat and infiltration skills are legendary.
Caity Lotz
Caity Lotz plays Sara Lance in Legends of Tomorrow, where she does all of her own stunts.
Caity has a variety of skills which include martial arts, Wushu, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, and Tae Kwan Do.
Chloe Bennet
Chloe Bennet plays Quake in the Marvel TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The show has her performing plenty of challenging stunts and dangerous fights—all of which she does herself.
Chloe used to be a combat fitness instructor in the Israeli military. Her ability to fight for real gave us tons of authenticity to her character.
ABC Studios, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-20)
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence has made her name by starring in plenty of blockbuster films, but it wasn’t until she played Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games that her unbelievable stunt skills became evident.
Jennifer did all her own stunts, of course, and spent a great deal of time becoming a pro with a bow and arrow.
Lionsgate, The Hunger Games (2012)
Gina Carano
A common thing in Hollywood is to go from sports to acting, and that’s just what Gina Carano did. She was a professional MMA fighter before she hit the big screens.
Gina’s athletic skills came in handy when she starred in Haywire, where she performed all her own stunts. She also did her own stunts in Deadpool.
Twentieth Century, Deadpool (2016)
Zoe Bell
Zoe Bell is actually a stuntwoman first and an actress second—but she has plenty of acting credits to her name.
Zoe was the stuntwoman for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, and she was her own stuntwoman in the web series Angel of Death. She’s also appeared in a number of films by Quentin Tarantino.
White Rock Lake Productions, Angel of Death (2009)
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock pulled off all her own stunts in Speed, including keeping the bus at the right speed. She’s also performed many of her own stunts in Miss Congeniality, Demolition Man, and Bird Box.
However, since becoming a mother she has decided to let other people do the dangerous stuff.
Netflix, The Unforgivable (2021)
Karen Gillan
Karen Gillan is another Marvel actress who performs her own stunts. Karen plays Nebula, the blue-skinned “sister” to Zoe Saldana's Gamora.
Karen performed the majority of her own stunts with the exception of one, which involved jumping off a rock and twisting out of the way of a metal plate.
Walt Disney, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Naomie Harris
Naomie Harris plays the most recent iteration of the classic Moneypenny character in James Bond. She trained extensively for three months in shooting, fighting, and driving to prepare for the role of Bond girl.
She did all of her own stunts in Skyfall, and the majority of them in movies like Rampage and Black and Blue.
Hayley Atwell
Hayley Atwell has only appeared in a few of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, but her role as Margaret “Peggy” Carter from Agent Carter had her performing a number of her own stunts.
Hayley had to learn how to fight, and prepare for a variety of high-action stunts for her role.
Walt Disney Television, Flickr
Maggie Q
Maggie Q, the Nikita alum, did almost all of her own stunts for in the movie The Protégé—just two months after having major surgery on her spine.
She has said she’s learned though, when to do the stunt herself and when to call in someone else “for safety and insurance reasons.”
Warner Bros., Nikita (2010-13)
Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy is known best for her comedy performances, but she has also delved into a fair bit of action in a number of her movies—all of which she performs her own stunts.
Melissa has apparently said she loves being thrown around and into the real action during her films.
Twentieth Century, The Heat (2013)
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer had to perform all of her own stunts in Thunder Force, alongside Melissa McCarthy. However, she has said that where Melissa is fearless, she is fearful.
She did the stunts, but didn’t love it.
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner has been kicking butt for years. She does all her own stunts in Peppermint as well as Alias.
Jennifer spends a great deal of time training before her action roles.
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck is an honorary member of the Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame, and arguably the greatest Hollywood actress to never win an Academy Award.
Barbara was a woman of many talents, but her work in the Western genre turned her into a legendary stunt performer when she was persistent on doing her own stunts—no matter how dangerous they may have been.
Maureen O’Hara
Maureen O’Hara was one of the best female stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era. And aside from her exquisite beauty, she was famous for being one of the very few female stars allowed to perform her own stunts.
She did all of her own stunts in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Black Swan, and McLintock! She even had a few injuries as a result.
