Seeing a woman kick butt in an action movie is satisfying, and the joy intensifies when you know she’s doing it for real. When no stunt doubles or special effects are taking the fall, the rawness of those action sequences permeates the screen and reaches the audience.
Not to mention, it feels amazing watching a woman take center stage instead of being a sidekick or just eye candy. From jumping off skyscrapers to getting into fistfights and unleashing their fury at enemies, these female action leads are a breath of fresh air in a male-dominated industry. Here are eight of the slickest and bravest female action heroes who perform their own stunts.
8 Actresses Who Did Their Own Stunts
1. Michelle Yeoh
The Academy Award-winning Michelle Yeoh is a legendary action heroine when it comes to performing her own stunts. She gained worldwide popularity from Everything Everywhere All at Once, but hardcore fans know her from early, classic Hong Kong films for her death-defying martial arts and wire stunts.
From Supercop (1992) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) to The Heroic Trio (1993) to The Brothers Sun (2023), she has revolutionized the female action-hero archetype. To Michelle Yeoh, physical combat, apart from her acting, comes as second nature as she’s been doing it for decades now.
2. Angelina Jolie
Even before Hollywood started churning out female-led action films, Angelina Jolie set the template with her fearless stunts for actresses to come. Jolie was performing most of her high-octane stunts in Salt (2010), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), and the Tomb Raider franchise.
Once, while filming the spy thriller Salt, her dedication to authenticity had her head bang against a corner piece while performing a roll on the floor for a shot. According to her stunt coach, Simon Crane, she can be a little stubborn because she argued against rushing to the hospital—precisely why she’s among the greatest action stars in Hollywood.
3. Charlize Theron
Being one of the best actresses in Hollywood, Charlize Theron is also an action star of the highest order. She is a beast in practical stunts—watch Atomic Blonde (2017), The Old Guard (2020), and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
In fact, according to the director of Atomic Blonde, David Leitch, 99% of Theron’s stunts are performed by her. The filmmaker was all praise for the iconic actress, admitting that it was unusual to witness an actor get 20–30 moves right in a single take. She is a pretty efficient actor to work with, I guess. Moreover, her action scenes as Imperator Furiosa in Fury Road are on another level, considering she did most of the challenging stuff herself.
4. Jennifer Lawrence
In the guise of her happy-go-lucky charm and exceptional acting ability, Jennifer Lawrence might not seem like an action star at first glance. However, her high-flying stunts in the X-Men and The Hunger Games franchises tell a different tale.
From climbing trees and arrow-firing to full-on combat scenes, Lawrence has left an impressive trail of practically performed action sequences. Once, while doing a stunt in Catching Fire, she ended up damaging her eardrum so badly that she temporarily lost her hearing. She has indeed proved she is worthy of being called an action star, given her history of awesome stunts.
5. Milla Jovovich
The world won’t forget Milla Jovovich’s extraordinary stunt work in the Resident Evil franchise. She is one of the few actresses who looks and walks like an action queen. For her amazing action scenes, Jovovich pushed herself to train in martial arts, which shows on screen.
In an interview given to the Irish Independent, the action star said, “If I don’t believe myself, why should anyone else? So I take it seriously. I love martial arts. I love that kind of training, I love flying and doing wire work.”
6. Margot Robbie
When Margot Robbie was cast as Harley Quinn in the villain-verse, it was the perfect casting. Everyone, including the director James Gunn, was surprised by Robbie’s tenacity to perform her own stunts. From staying underwater for minutes and withholding her breath to executing a picture-perfect choke hold in Suicide Squad, she created chaos.
Robbie continued her successful stint in Birds of Prey, performing most of the stunts herself, supervised by John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski. She proved that she wasn’t just an incredibly talented actress but a very impressive stuntwoman.
7. Scarlett Johansson
For over a decade or so, Scarlett Johansson has portrayed the role of the iconic Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, in the MCU, earning a massive fanbase. She didn’t just pose every time she landed on the floor, but performed a good chunk of action scenes herself, as her stunt double Heidi Moneymaker pulled off the most dangerous ones.
For her role, Johansson trained extensively in martial arts, acrobatics, and fight choreography to make her action look authentic on screen. During a conversation with Fandango, Cate Shortland, director of Black Widow (2021), said that both Florence Pugh and Scarlett Johansson were into it and performed most of the stunts themselves.
8. Gal Gadot
Most people would say that Gal Gadot was born to play the role of the Amazon goddess Wonder Woman in the DC Universe. However, most of them wouldn’t know that before whipping the Lasso of Truth, Gadot was a combat fitness instructor, serving in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years.
That training is evident in her stunt work and fight choreography—particularly in hand-to-hand combat, which, according to her, is her favorite part. Moreover, the actress doesn’t shy away from mentioning her stunt crew: “The amount of work and risk they take, the dedication, everything they give is just incredible.”
Summing It Up
Which female action hero impresses you the most with her stunt-performing abilities?
Let us know in the comments.
