History Main / NoStuntDouble

* ''Anime/AssassinationClassroom'': In the epilogue, it's shown that Kayano has taken to doing her own stunts in her films, using the skills she picked up during her time in Class E.

* Looking at stills from the filming of the [[Series/DoctorWho 50th anniversary episode]], it seems that Creator/MattSmith is doing his own stunts.

* Creator/ChristopherReeve did most of, if not all, his own wirework for the ''Film/{{Superman}}'' films. In addition, Creator/MargotKidder did all her stunts during the difficult "car swallowed up by a crack on the ground" scene.

* Creator/HarrisonFord didn't do all of his stunts in the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' films, but still tried to do as many as possible. It got to the point where they were concerned about him doing too-risky stunts that his stunt man (and good friend Vic Armstrong) had to tell him to let him do some stunts, otherwise, he'd be out of a job. Armstrong also [[http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/07/article-0-0BE344D200000578-938_634x486.jpg looked a lot like him]] and would also be used as a stand-in during ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' when Harrison Ford was in the hospital.

** Creator/DanielCraig and [[CastTheExpert Sebastian Foucan]] did most of the LeParkour scene themselves in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'', even [[IncrediblyLamePun bonding]] with each other through the ordeal.

** Similarly, that really is ProfessionalWrestling/AndreTheGiant climbing the CliffsOfInsanity (albeit with dummies replacing Vizzini, Inigo & Buttercup).

** Played straight decades later by Minami Tsukui, who plays Yoko Minato/Kamen Rider Marika in ''Series/KamenRiderGaim''. Tsukui is a stuntwoman by trade, so she does her own fight scenes out of an in-costume, serving as the suit actress for Marika. This also holds true for Tsukui's appearances in ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' (as the [[KnownOnlyByTheirNickname Grasshopper Woman]]) and ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'' (as [[KickChick Ashy]], one of Deathryuger's {{Dark Chick}}s in TheMovie).

In modern times, this tropes comes up because audiences tend to be pretty savvy and will recognize an ObviousStuntDouble when it rears its head. Stunt doubles usually have to be obscured in some way ([[FakeShemp by keeping the camera far away, cutting really tight around the face, keeping the lighting low or by filming from the back]]), because otherwise the audience might get pulled out of the scene. But if the actor does their own stunts, you can do more closeups or bright lighting or whatever you might like to do. The tradeoff, of course, is that you might need to make the stunt itself less impressive in order to match the actor's skill level in stunt work. (The use of a DigitalHeadSwap has alleviated some of these issues, allowing more complex scenes without being concerned seeing their face.)

Quite common in SilentFilms, when stunt doubles were almost unknown, NoOSHACompliance was a RealLife fact and money was tighter so you couldn't afford to pay extra performers. Audiences tend to be pretty savvy and will recognize an ObviousStuntDouble when it rears its head. Stunt doubles usually have to be obscured in some way ([[FakeShemp by keeping the camera far away, cutting really tight around the face, keeping the lighting low or by filming from the back]]), because otherwise the audience might get pulled out of the scene. But if the actor does their own stunts, you can do more closeups or bright lighting or whatever you might like to do. The tradeoff, of course, is that you might need to make the stunt itself less impressive in order to match the actor's skill level in stunt work. The use of a DigitalHeadSwap has alleviated some of these issues, allowing more complex scenes without being concerned seeing their face.

It's also a cool thing to engage with as an actor, as they [[DyeingForYourArt often spend months at the gym]] and practicing the stunt in order to get it right, which may also help them carry themselves differently physically as appropriate for the role. It's a way of hinting that the actor isn't merely a badass in-character; they're also a badass in RealLife!

# The actor ''is'' a stuntperson ''in their own right'' -- in other words, they've got the training and the skill. It's highly likely they originated as a stuntman before graduating to a lead actor, coming from a background of martial arts, acrobatics, military, etc. A related situation is where most of a character's on-screen time is action or fight scenes with little dialogue (this is common for an EliteMook), in which case someone who is mainly a stunt performer will be cast in the role. It could also be that something about the actor--usually physical size--makes finding a stunt double difficult or impossible.
# Smarter actors want to do their own stunts but are aware that some things are best left to the professionals' work, understanding what they can do safely and clearly while the stunt coordinator and their team to do the bigger and riskier ones. Both the stunt double and actor may work with each other to make sure performance continuity is maintained. Many actors get enthusiastic about the physicality of the role only to learn the hard way that a stuntman really is important.

# Virtually exclusive to InUniverse instances (often action series), where the hero will be hired or persuaded to protect an actor who does their own stunts. If the actor only claims to do their own stunts, the protagonist's job is to keep the truth from coming out.

# The actor ''is'' a stuntperson ''in their own right'' -- in other words, they've got the training and the skill. It's highly likely they originated as a stuntman before graduating to a lead actor, coming from a background of martial arts, acrobatics, military, etc., which assists in doing stunts. A related situation is where most of a character's on-screen time is action or fight scenes with little dialogue (this is common for an EliteMook), in which case someone who is mainly a stunt performer will be cast in the role.
# Smarter actors want to do their own stunts but are aware that some things are best left to the professionals' work, understanding what they can do safely and clearly while the stunt coordinator and their team to do the bigger and riskier ones. Both the stunt double and actor may work with each other to make sure performance continuity is maintained.
# Something about the actor--usually physical size--makes finding a stunt double difficult or impossible.
# Some actors insist on doing their own stunts--then they get injured and realize that yes, a professional stunt person really is necessary.

Quite common in SilentFilms, when stunt doubles were almost unknown, NoOSHACompliance was a RealLife fact and money was tighter so you couldn't afford to pay extra performers. Audiences tend to be pretty savvy and will recognize an ObviousStuntDouble when it rears its head. Stunt doubles usually have to be obscured in some way (by keeping the camera far away, or by keeping the cut really short, or by keeping the lighting low, or by filming the double from the back so we can't see their face, etc.), because otherwise the audience will either get confused about who they're looking at or complain about the ObviousStuntDouble. But if the actor does their own stunts, you can do more closeups or bright lighting or whatever you might like to do. The tradeoff, of course, is that you might need to make the stunt itself less impressive in order to match the actor's skill level in stunt work.

When someone is being paid to be the face of a movie, standard procedure is to make sure they are safe on set and swap in less costly people to perform actions that carry a notable risk factor. This is known as a StuntDouble, TalentDouble or BodyDouble. The inversion of this is an actor who insists or is encouraged to understand the performance and storytelling involved, and rather than swap out someone else while getting a snack they stick with every part of the filming process so it is always them on camera.

# The actor only claims to do their own stunts [[SmallNameBigEgo in an effort to bolster their own image]], but in fact are constantly replaced. While they may be enthusiastic such claims [[NiceToTheWaiter may not endear you to future stunt teams]]. [[note]]The use of a BodyDouble means often the actor is not even invited to set where some big sequence is filmed, so they may think falling three feet onto a pad is all the character is doing when the stuntman is jumping between helicopters.

Quite common in SilentFilms, when stunt doubles were almost unknown, NoOSHACompliance was a RealLife fact and money was tighter so you couldn't afford paying extra performers. Audiences tend to be pretty savvy and will recognize an ObviousStuntDouble when it rears its head. Stunt doubles usually have to be obscured in some way (by keeping the camera far away, or by keeping the cut really short, or by keeping the lighting low, or by filming the double from the back so we can't see their face, etc.), because otherwise the audience will either get confused about who they're looking at or complain about the ObviousStuntDouble. But if the actor does their own stunts, you can do more closeups or bright lighting or whatever you might like to do. The tradeoff, of course, is that you might need to make the stunt itself less impressive in order to match the actor's skill level in stunt work.

It's also a cool thing to engage with as an actor, as they [[DyeingForYourArt often spend months at the gym]] and practicing the stunt in order to get it right, which may also help them carry themselves different physically as appropriate for the role. It's a way of hinting that the actor isn't merely a badass in-character; they're also a badass in RealLife!

* Creator/HaroldLloyd, even when he lost some of his fingers (which wasn't even in a stunt sequence - he was doing a publicity shoot and a practical CartoonBomb was accidentally handed to him to pose with instead of a fake one).

* Creator/TomCruise became known for doing a lot of his own stunts but perhaps more impressively, is one of the few actors with the sheer athleticism to do all of his own extended sprinting, jumping, climbing, combat scenes, etc. which in many cases is [[RealityIsUnrealistic the bulk of a stuntman's work]]. Starting around the 2000's that started to become his primary motivation as an actor, not just doing his own stunts but [[SerialEscalation ramping them up bigger and crazier than the last film]]. If he wasn't personally producing the movies no insurance company would permit this.

** He then went and one-upped that for the sequel ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout''. One of the stunts has him hanging out of a helicopter mid-flight. ''With no pilot''. Because ''he'' was piloting it. And as if that wasn't enough, he also did over a ''hundred'' [=HALO=] jumps to get three usable takes. ''Fallout'' also had Cruise breaking his foot jumping across rooftops, and still finishing the shot despite knowing immediately he'd broken it (the take is in the movie, where watching it in slow-motion makes clear when he slammed a foot in the wall).

** He's also been a licensed pilot since 1994, and is seen flying his own personal P-51 Mustang at the end of ''Film/TopGunMaverick'' with Creator/JenniferConnelly in the rear seat.

* Creator/SummerGlau is well trained in several martial arts, so doesn't require a stunt double for most of her fight scenes. Bigger stunts she'll take one, but she can convincingly sell beating up multiple opponents much bigger than her.

** He also did the scaffold scene in ''Film/DontLookNow'', because the insurance for the stunt man didn't get set up in time. The wire holding Sutherland up nearly broke.
* Bodybuilders such as Steve Reeves and Reg Park did their own stunts while working on the low budget sword and sandal ''Hercules'' films of the late 1950s and early 1960s in Italy because their large, muscular physiques made it nearly impossible for the low budget Italian film crews to find stuntmen big enough to double for them. And of course, being athletes as well as bodybuilders, it was usually cheaper to just let them do it themselves. Not surprisingly, their spiritual successors, such as Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger and Creator/DolphLundgren, typically did many of their own stunts as well.

* Creator/SylvesterStallone does most of his own stunts, and has over the years broken his ribs (jumping off a cliff multiple times in ''Film/FirstBlood'' because he felt the shot didn't look "realistic" enough) gone into cardiac arrest (punched so hard by Creator/DolphLundgren in ''Film/RockyIV'' that his heart actually stopped) and broken his neck (had his skull slammed into a fire extinguisher by Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin during ''Film/TheExpendables'' after asking the wrestler to [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor "hit him for real"]]).

* Creator/PaulNewman did his own bicycle stunts for ''Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid'' after his stuntman was unable to stay on the bike. The only one he didn't do was the scene where Butch crashes backwards into the fence, which was performed by Cinematographer Conrad L. Hall.

* Creator/KeanuReeves does a lot of his own stuntwork. Here's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrWRforOgNw Exhibit A]] showing just how he did most of his own wire-work on ''Film/TheMatrix'' alongside Creator/HugoWeaving and Creator/LaurenceFishburne. He also claims to have done 90% of his own stunts and fights throughout the ''Franchise/JohnWick'' series - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCIgpUTvfsA Exhibit B]] showing him training for [[Film/JohnWickChapter2 the sequel]]. Notable exceptions include John getting hit by Kirill's CarFu and getting thrown off the balcony in the Red Circle (and even then, the balcony scene was made of two shots stitched together into one; most of the fall was Reeves dropped with wires, with the actual impact being done by a stuntman dropped from a much lower height).

* Both Creator/JohnCleese and Creator/TerryGilliam performed all their stunts during the duel between Black and Green Knight in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''. They both had to learn to manage big and heavy swords and to do some acrobatics, though never being recognizable, wearing both heavy armors and full helmets. They both avoided the use of stuntmen because, as they said in commentaries, they had a lot of fun in enacting the duel.

* In ''Series/TheWildWildWest'', Creator/RobertConrad did almost all his own stunts. One stunt went horribly wrong, almost killing him and shutting down production of the series for 3 months. After Conrad recovered they picked up where they left off and used the botched stunt in the final cut of the episode in question.

* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'': Creator/BryanCranston did several of his own stunts. Besides the cartwheel and the headstand, Cranston did his own roller disco skating, spending all the free time he had in the week and a half he had to learn how to skate. After one of the show's writers asked jokingly whether Cranston would be willing to wear a suit of live bees, Cranston said he would, so they wrote a script around the idea ("The Bots and the Bees"). He ended up covered in ten thousand bees, and only got stung once.

** All of the original ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' did their own stunts for at least the first 40 episodes. The actors were cast, in part, based on experience with martial arts, gymnastics, or dancing. This includes footage of them actually in the suits. However, Creator/AmyJoJohnson became a bit cautious after she caught on fire while filming the episode "Switching Places." Even after the first season, though, the actors were still really hands on until ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' when the show decided to go SAG halfway through the season.

** The male members of the ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' cast were really insistent that they do as much of the stunt work as they physically could, and by the end of the season Creator/EkaDarville was training alongside the Japanese stuntmen. He had gotten that good. Other actors with experience, like Creator/JohnnyYongBosch, Creator/DanSouthworth, Mike Chaturantabut, and Brennan Mejia, also had opportunities to flex their skills onscreen.

* ''Film/TheRocketeer'': Neville Sinclair doesn't have one, and is shown doing a pretty elaborate swashbuckling scene. It is referenced later as InsultBackfire and a justification for his climactic showdown with the hero.

* In one ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' comic, Archie and Reggie were movie stars -- Archie was a stuntman, but had to cover up the fact Reggie didn't do his own stunts.

* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner:'' In [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail80.html "stunt double,"]] Strong Bad insists that he does all his own stunts. He's [[BlatantLies lying]], of course; when he shows his scenes from the film ''Dangeresque II: This Time It's Not Dangeresque 1'' as evidence, he has the least convincing stunt double ever: [[spoiler:His younger brother Strong Sad (who looks nothing like Strong Bad) wearing a paper bag with Strong Bad's face crudely drawn on it.]]

* Creator/GlennClose insisted on doing her own stunts as Cruella [=DeVil=] for the live-action remake of ''Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians1996'' and its sequel, which included getting [[CoveredInGunge dunked in molasses and cake batter in a heavy fur coat]], because [[DoingItForTheArt she wanted kids to know that it really was Cruella going through this punishment for what she was going to do to the puppies]].

What do Creator/CharlieChaplin, Creator/BusterKeaton, Creator/HaroldLloyd, and Creator/JackieChan all have in common?

Answer: They performed all their own stunts.

There are a few flavors to this.

# Something about the actor--usually physical size--makes finding a stunt double difficult or impossible.
# Some actors insist on doing their own stunts--then they get injured and realize that yes, a professional stunt person really is necessary.

# The actor only claims to do their own stunts [[SmallNameBigEgo in an effort to bolster their own image]]. Many examples should be taken with an awareness that these claims are rarely an absolute, and [[NiceToTheWaiter may not endear you to future stunt teams]]. [[note]]The use of a BodyDouble means often the actor is not even invited to set where some big sequence is filmed, so they may think falling three feet onto a pad is all the character is doing when the stuntman is jumping between helicopters.

Quite common in SilentFilms, when stunt doubles were almost unknown and NoOSHACompliance was a RealLife fact. Audiences tend to be pretty savvy and will recognize an ObviousStuntDouble when it rears its head. Stunt doubles usually have to be obscured in some way (by keeping the camera far away, or by keeping the cut really short, or by keeping the lighting low, or by filming the double from the back so we can't see their face, etc.), because otherwise the audience will either get confused about who they're looking at or complain about the ObviousStuntDouble. But if the actor does their own stunts, you can do more closeups or bright lighting or whatever you might like to do. The tradeoff, of course, is that you might need to make the stunt itself less impressive in order to match the actor's skill level in stunt work.

It's also a cool thing to engage with as an actor, as they [[DyeingForYourArt often spend months at the gym]] and practicing the stunt in order to get it right. It's a way of hinting that the actor isn't merely a badass in-character; they're also a badass in RealLife!

See also StuntDouble, BodyDouble and ObviousStuntDouble.

* The film ''Film/StickIt'', about gymnastics in the last days of the Perfect 10 scoring system. [[note]] This is still used in college gymnastics.[[/note]] Most of the supporting characters/extras ranks were filled with NCAA and elite amateur gymnasts -- including Olympians Mohini Bhardwaj, Allana Slater, and eventual 2008 Olympic AA champion Nastia Liukin -- all of whom did their own stunts. Among the leading roles, Maddy Curley (Mina Hoyt), a former Division I NCAA gymnast, did her own stunts, as did Tarah Paige (Tricia Skilken), who actually ''is'' a Hollywood stuntwoman and moreover competed in the elite ranks of USA Gymnastics before heading to Hollywood[[note]]as Tarah Chellevold, should you be interested in youtubing her[[/note]]. In fact, Tricia's lovely illusion twist on beam featured in Tarah's national championships balance beam routine at one point.

* The film ''Film/StickIt'', about gymnastics in the last days of the Perfect 10 scoring system[[note]]Which is still used in college gymnastics.[[/note]]. Most of the supporting characters/extras ranks were filled with NCAA and elite amateur gymnasts -- including Olympians Mohini Bhardwaj, Allana Slater, and eventual 2008 Olympic AA champion Nastia Liukin -- all of whom did their own stunts. Among the leading roles, Maddy Curley (Mina Hoyt), a former Division I NCAA gymnast, did her own stunts, as did Tarah Paige (Tricia Skilken), who actually ''is'' a Hollywood stuntwoman and moreover competed in the elite ranks of USA Gymnastics before heading to Hollywood[[note]]as Tarah Chellevold, should you be interested in youtubing her[[/note]]. In fact, Tricia's lovely illusion twist on beam featured in Tarah's national championships balance beam routine at one point.

* The film ''Film/StickIt'', about gymnastics in the last days of the Perfect 10 scoring system. [[note]]Which is still used in college gymnastics.[[/note]] Most of the supporting characters/extras ranks were filled with NCAA and elite amateur gymnasts -- including Olympians Mohini Bhardwaj, Allana Slater, and eventual 2008 Olympic AA champion Nastia Liukin -- all of whom did their own stunts. Among the leading roles, Maddy Curley (Mina Hoyt), a former Division I NCAA gymnast, did her own stunts, as did Tarah Paige (Tricia Skilken), who actually ''is'' a Hollywood stuntwoman and moreover competed in the elite ranks of USA Gymnastics before heading to Hollywood[[note]]as Tarah Chellevold, should you be interested in youtubing her[[/note]]. In fact, Tricia's lovely illusion twist on beam featured in Tarah's national championships balance beam routine at one point.

# The actor ''is'' a stuntperson ''in their own right'' -- in other words, they've got the training and the skill. It's very likely they originated as a stuntman before graduating to a lead actor, coming from a background of martial art, acrobatics, military, etc, which greatly assists in doing stunts. A related situation is where the majority of a character's on-screen time is action or fight scenes with relatively little dialogue (this is common for an EliteMook), in which case someone who is mainly a stunt performer will be cast in the role.

# Smarter actors want to do their own stunts but are aware that some things are best left to the professionals work, understanding what they can do safely and clearly while the stunt coordinator and their team to do the bigger and riskier ones. Both the stunt double and actor may work with each other to make sure performance continuity is maintained.

* The film ''Film/StickIt'', about gymnastics in the last days of the Perfect 10 scoring system.[[note]]Which is still used in college gymnastics.[[/note]] Most of the supporting characters/extras ranks were filled with NCAA and elite amateur gymnasts -- including Olympians Mohini Bhardwaj, Allana Slater, and eventual 2008 Olympic AA champion Nastia Liukin -- all of whom did their own stunts. Among the leading roles, Maddy Curley (Mina Hoyt), a former Division I NCAA gymnast, did her own stunts, as did Tarah Paige (Tricia Skilken), who actually ''is'' a Hollywood stuntwoman and moreover competed in the elite ranks of USA Gymnastics before heading to Hollywood[[note]]as Tarah Chellevold, should you be interested in youtubing her[[/note]]. In fact, Tricia's lovely illusion twist on beam featured in Tarah's national championships balance beam routine at one point.

* Creator/TomCruise is also known for doing his own stunts (for example, in ''Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol''), but perhaps more impressively, is one of the few actors with the sheer athleticism to do all of his own extended sprinting, jumping, climbing, combat scenes, etc. which in many cases is [[RealityIsUnrealistic the bulk of a stuntman's work]].

# The actor only claims to do their own stunts [[SmallNameBigEgo in an effort to bolster their own image]]. Many examples should be taken with an awareness that these claims are rarely an absolute, and [[NiceToTheWaiter may not endear you to future stunt teams]]. [[note]]The use of BodyDoubles means often the actor is not even invited to set where some big sequence is filmed, so they may think falling three feet onto a pad is all the character is doing when the stuntman is jumping between helicopters.

# The actor ''is'' a stuntperson ''in their own right'' -- in other words, they've got the training and the skill. Quite common in SilentFilms, when stunt doubles were almost unknown and NoOSHACompliance was a RealLife fact.
** If not trained as a stunt performer, many of these actors are martial artists, acrobats, etc, which greatly assists in doing stunts. A related situation is where the majority of a character's on-screen time is action or fight scenes with relatively little dialogue (this is common for an EliteMook), in which case someone who is mainly a stunt performer will be cast in the role.

# Smarter actors who want to do their own stunts but are aware that some things are best left to the professionals work closely with the stunt coordinator and their team to do as many shots as they can themselves as well as the lower-level stunts while leaving the bigger and riskier ones to the pros. The stunt double may also be tasked with training the actor/actress whom they are standing in for in this way.
# The actor only claims to do their own stunts. (Readers should take many of the examples below with a grain of salt, as false claims that actors "really" did stunts have always been a popular way of getting publicity.)

There are two main reasons why an actor might do this.

First, it allows for greater artistic freedom. Stunt doubles usually have to be obscured in some way (by keeping the camera far away, or by keeping the cut really short, or by keeping the lighting low, or by filming the double from the back so we can't see their face, etc.), because otherwise the audience will either get confused about who they're looking at or complain about the ObviousStuntDouble. But if the actor does their own stunts, you can do more closeups or bright lighting or whatever you might like to do. (The tradeoff, of course, is that you might need to make the stunt itself less impressive in order to match the actor's skill level in stunt work.)

Second, it's a cool thing to brag about even if it doesn't make an artistic difference. It's a way of hinting that the actor isn't merely a badass in-character; they're also a badass in RealLife!

See also StuntDouble and ObviousStuntDouble.

** He's even an accomplished stunt driver and is usually the one behind the wheel in car chase scenes. The chase in ''Film/JackReacher'' in particular has several shots that seem designed to show that he, not a double, is the one driving.

* Creator/PatrickSwayze did many of his own stunts for films like ''Film/RedDawn1984'', ''Film/RoadHouse'', and ''Film/PointBreak1991''.

* Creator/BabyPeggy, and that's considering she was a ''toddler'' when she had to pull off those stunts. [[UpToEleven Taken to the extreme]] when [[http://www.silentsaregolden.com/articles/bpinterview.html she had to escape a burning set]] in ''The Darling of New York''.