## Stunts From Famous Movies That Went Seriously Off The Rails
Being a stunt performer might just be the most thankless job in Hollywood. Even if they're flipping a car, jumping from an explosion, or taking a knock-out punch, stunt doubles are usually an afterthought once credits roll — even though they put their lives on the line! Some of the death-defying moments that made these famous films pop with intensity had stunt artists staring death or injury in the face, and not even Hollywood magic could cover up their very real wounds...
1. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
Stunt double Olivia Jackson had worked on major blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: A Force Awakens. But it was while working on Resident Evil that Jackson crashed her motorcycle into a crane-mounted camera. Suffering a spine injury, she was placed in an induced coma for seventeen days, and her left arm was amputated. Although she successfully sued against those responsible, she is still recovering.
2. Back to the Future Part ll (1989)
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 thirty feet onto concrete. She survived but with face injuries.
3. Top Gun (1986)
Stuntman Art Scholl was an expert pilot. So, for the Tom Cruise-led flick, Scholl was tasked with operating a camera-rigged plane to follow the fighter jet action. One scene required he "spin and recover" his plane, but the recovery never came. "I have a problem. I have a real problem," he said over the radio, just before he crashed into the ocean.
4. Comes a Horseman (1978)
Stunt man Jim Sheppard took on a sequence where a character was dragged to death by a horse. But horses are harder to control than humans, and the animal used in filming went way off course and literally dragged Jim to his death. Unbelievably, the take is actually in the final film. The scene cuts off before the moment Sheppard struck his head on a fence post.
5. Deadpool 2 (2018)
In 2017, Joi Harris performed a a high-speed stunt on a motorcycle down a ramp of stairs. It ended horribly when she struck the side of a building. An investigation revealed multiple mistakes, from the lack of a helmet for Harris and the lack of barriers to protect her.
6. Quantum of Solace (2008)
For this movie's opening car chase, performer Aris Comninos rode as a passenger in one of the pursuing vehicles. Without warning, his vehicle hit into 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.
7. Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
In this movie, Sonja Davis acted as the stunt double for actress Angela Bassett. Davis felt extremely uncomfortable with one of the movie's planned stunts: a 40-foot drop onto an air bag. Nevertheless, she took the plunge — and was catapulted off the padding when it popped on impact. She died from injuries 13 days later, and her family later sued for failure of providing key safety equipment. They won $10 million.
8. The Avengers (2012)
For an action scene in The Avengers, Jeremy Fitzgerald had to fall thirty 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 bricks. Despite it tearing off some of his scalp, Fitzgerald considered it as a flesh wound and continued working.
9. Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
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.
10. Gone in Sixty Seconds (1989)
Movie stunts can even be dangerous for those nearby: H.B. Halicki directed this film, and during production, he oversaw a major set piece — a tumbling water tower. Something went wrong, however, and the collapsing tower knocked over a telephone pole, which struck and killed Halicki. Production never resumed.
11. The Hangover Part ll (2011)
In this film, Scott McLean performed a scene as the double for Ed Helms' character. With Scott's head out a taxi window, the stunt driver erred and hit another vehicle, giving the stunt performer a gash on the head and torn flesh. He survived and sued the producers and Warner Bros.
12. The Expendables 2 (2012)
When a film has more than one stunt go wrong, there may be a problem. On set, Kun Liu (below) was killed by an explosion that also injured stunt man Nuo Sun. As Jet Li's stunt double, Sun damaged his head, arms, legs, neck, and nervous system. He sued Millennium Films, as did Kun Liu's family, for negligence.
13. Romancing the Stone (1984)
For a 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 hit the water so hard that he was left stunned. Rescuers saved them both.
14. XXX (2002)
For the Vin Diesel-led action film, stunt double Harry O'Connor was a former Navy SEAL. He was tasked with an aerial stunt where he slid down a parasailing line, and he was suppose to land onto a submarine below. At the high speeds he was going, however, O'Connor hit into a bridge — and was killed instantly. His last moments are still seen in the film.
15. Steel (1997)
A. J. Bakunas had done everything right for his stunt performance. He was to fall from 22 stories and land onto an air bag. He fell correctly — and he should have survived — but the air bag was faulty. The landing pad failed upon his impact, splitting in two. Bakunas died the next day from his injuries.
16. Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
Lead actor and stunt artist Dylan O’Brien had to jump from one vehicle to another in this film, 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, and a concussion, too. His severe injuries postponed the film's release.
17. Waterworld (1995)
Stunt man Laird Hamilton performed plenty of tricks on a jet ski for this classic film — 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 it helped him survive.
18. The Hobbit (2012)
During filming for Peter Jackson's prequel trilogy, twenty-seven animals died. No one was held accountable as it didn't happen on an active set, but many deaths were contributed to failed safety standards. Sinkholes caused by underwater stress were a number one killer, ensnarling many animals.
19. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Gabriela Cedillo wasn't a double, but an extra. For her 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 failed in the exact same way. She won $18 million in a lawsuit.
20. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
For a broomstick-flying sequence deemed too risky for Daniel Radcliffe, producers called on stunt man David Holmes. During the flight, a controlled explosion went off early, slamming Holmes into a wall and breaking his neck. In the aftermath, the good friend of Radcliffe (they'd worked on several films together) was paralyzed in every limb.
21. Chris Hemsworth
Bobby Holland Hanton, Chris Hemsworth's body double for Thor, has said it's very difficult to keep up with Hemsworth's physique. He even has to get reps in the gym in during their lunch breaks while shooting!
22. Uma Thurman
In Kill Bill, Uma Thurman plays a badass hit-woman. Like any Quentin Tarantino movie, violence and action are a constant. That's where Zoë Bell came in. Guess it's Bell who has the sword skills in real life!
23. Brad Pitt
Sometimes stunt doubles hit it big and stick around for the long run. That's exactly what happened for Phil Ball, who's been Brad Pitt's double for the majority of his movies since his early career. Talk about hitting the jackpot!
24. Emilia Clarke
Best known as the "Mother of Dragons" Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke needed a double for some of the action-packed show's more intense scenes. Rosie Mac, the model who was chosen, didn't even audition. Rather, one of her social media posts got her noticed!
25. Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis is an action movie megastar with multiple stunt doubles who have followed him throughout his career. But Stuart Wilson, who also coordinates all his stunts, takes the cake for being the best lookalike.
26. Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana's character in Guardians of the Galaxy, Gamora, required facial prosthetics and coloring. This allowed Chloé Bruce, a professional martial artist, to fill in for her in more action-packed moments while wearing a specially made mask.
27. Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen had two stunt doubles as Gandolf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The much taller double was used to make the actors who played the hobbits look shorter than they actually were. Turns out the unorthodox method saved a lot of money on special effects.
28. Natalie Portman
Not all doubles get along with their lead actor. Sarah Lane (right), Natalie Portman's dancing double in Black Swan, caused controversy when she claimed that 95% of the full-body shots in the movie were her, despite Portman's claim that she did most of the dancing herself.
29. Chris Pratt
While it's no secret that big-name actors usually have stunt doubles, most of us really never consider that these fill-ins sometimes get hurt. That's exactly what happened to Chris Pratt's stuntman Tony McFarr, who fell during the opening sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and actually needed staples in his head!
30. Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot has played some of the most powerful woman in cinema, including Wonder Woman; still, even she needs a stunt double. While Gal was pregnant during the filming of Wonder Woman, her lookalike Alicia Vela-Bailey took care of most of the more physically demanding heroics.
31. Dave Bautista
Even former WWE stars use stunt doubles on occasion, and Dave Bautista in Guardians of the Galaxy was no exception. Robert de Groot took over for some of the riskier stunts performed by Drax in the movie. That's right, Marvel fans — his name is de Groot.
32. Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner has had the same stunt double for nearly her entire career. From Alias to Elektra and Daredevil, Shauna Duggins has been by Garner's side through it all. She was even the first stuntwoman nominated for a stunt coordinator Emmy.
33. Mark Ruffalo
Even Avengers need stunt doubles. Mark Ruffalo's double Anthony Molinari looks like he could be his brother in real life! Molinari handled some of the heavy lifting for the Hulk.
34. Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie had a meteoric rise to fame, and she deserved it. While working on Suicide Squad, she found a perfect match in her stunt double. Ingrid Kleinig filled in flawlessly in scenes that were too dangerous for Margot, including the underwater car crash.
35. Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Governator had a lookalike stuntman who doubled for him for most of his career. Peter Kent got his start as Arnold's double for the entire Terminator series, hopefully telling him, "I'll be back," after they wrapped shooting on each film.
36. Karen Gillan
Karen Gillan and her stunt double Jahnel Curfman turned a lot of heads with their short-shorts and bad-ass action scenes in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. When Curfman put on a red wig, she looked exactly like Gillan!
37. Ryan Reynolds
Sometimes the stunt double doesn't need to look like the lead, as was the case with Ryan Reynolds's double in Deadpool. Alex Kyshkovych did all of the stunts in both Deadpool movies, but a side-by-side comparison shows little similarity.
38. Megan Fox
Megan Fox is no stranger to taking risks; in fact, she does a lot of her own stunts — when they're manageable, of course. Her double, Stacey Carino, is a veteran stuntwoman who actually broke her neck on the job at one point! Luckily, she fully recovered.
39. Chandler Riggs
Chandler Riggs, America's favorite zombie-killing kid from The Walking Dead, definitely needed a stunt double for some of his gnarlier zombie-slaying scenes. Unfortunately, producers couldn't find an adult male that could fill in, so they went with Emily Brobst, a seasoned stuntwoman, instead.
40. Lucy Lawless
Once again, Zoë Bell makes the list of legendary stunt doubles for her time filling in for Lucy Lawless on the set of Xena: Warrior Princess. Just another shining spot on her illustrious stunt doubling resume!
41. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Tanoai Reed
We didn't think it was possible to look buff next to the legendary Rock, but Reed somehow pulls it off. His cheat day meals must be pretty impressive.
42. Keanu Reeves and Jackson Spidell
Here, Reeves' stunt double accompanies him during the filming of John Wick for a scene in which the character is forced to escape a motorcycle brigade on horseback.
43. Halle Berry and Anisha Gibbs
Berry is one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, so it would be an honor to be her double. Gibbs has stood in for the actress in many harrowing action scenes.
44. Johnny Depp and Tony Angelotti
It's no wonder the swashbuckling stunts of Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean saga require an occasional stunt double to get things done. Look-alike Angelotti is the perfect person for the job.
45. Chris Evans and Sam Hargrave
It's hard to tell these two studs apart, but on the left is Evans, and on the right is his double, whose extensive training in martial arts helps him execute jaw-dropping feats on screen.
46. Tom Hardy and Jacob Tomuri
This rugged pair has worked together on multiple critically acclaimed films, including The Revenant in 2015 and most recently the action-packed Mad Max: Fury Road.
47. Ben Affleck and Rich Cetrone
Styling is half the battle when it comes to stunt doubles, and its frankly impressive how closely the hair and makeup artists were able to mimic Affleck's signature scruff on Cetrone.
48. Sebastian Stan and James Young
Even with Stan's face partially obscured, it's easy to see how closely these two resemble each other. Young is responsible for many of the impressive stunts done by Stan's character in Captain America: Civil War.
49. Zac Efron and Jordan Scott
At least from the neck down these two are pretty indistinguishable. In this case Scott stood in for Efron not because of a dangerous stunt, but because the scene required more nudity than Efron was comfortable with.
50. Reese Witherspoon and Marilee Lessley
This one is truly uncanny. Lessley looks so much like Witherspoon that she could honestly be her long lost twin. Maybe they should try a DNA test.
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