Doing your own stunts can make an action scene feel more authentic, but it also comes with real risks. While professional stunt performers handle the most dangerous moments on most productions, some actors insist on pushing themselves further in pursuit of realism. Sometimes the gamble pays off with unforgettable scenes. Other times it ends with broken bones, torn ligaments, concussions, or months of recovery. These injuries became part of movie history and, in several cases, the footage that caused them still appears in the finished film. These are the actors who performed their own stunts and paid a painful price for it.
Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible Fallout (2018)
Cruise broke his ankle while jumping between rooftops, finished the take despite the injury, and the shot remained in the final movie.
Jackie Chan in Armour of God (1986)
Chan fractured his skull after falling from a tree onto rocks, suffering one of the most serious injuries of his remarkable stunt career.
Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Ford herniated a disc during filming, eventually requiring surgery before returning to complete the production.
Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
After kicking an Orc helmet during an emotional scene, Mortensen broke two toes, and his genuine scream of pain stayed in the film.
Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (2006)
Craig knocked out two of his front teeth during a fight sequence and needed emergency dental work before filming could continue.
Charlize Theron in Æon Flux (2005)
A failed back handspring left Theron with a serious neck injury that shut down production for several weeks.
Dylan O’Brien in Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
O’Brien was thrown from a moving vehicle during a stunt, suffering facial fractures, a concussion, and multiple other injuries that delayed the film for months.
Sylvester Stallone in The Expendables (2010)
While filming a fight with Steve Austin, Stallone fractured his neck badly enough to require surgery and a metal plate.
Halle Berry in John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum (2019)
Berry broke several ribs while training and filming the physically demanding action sequences alongside Keanu Reeves.
Jason Statham in The Expendables 3 (2014)
A truck he was driving suffered brake failure and plunged into the Black Sea, forcing Statham to escape underwater.
Margaret Qualley in The Substance (2024)
The demanding physical performance left Qualley with temporary facial skin damage caused by extensive prosthetics and makeup, along with numerous bruises during production.
Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Thurman crashed a car after being pressured to perform the driving stunt herself, suffering lasting knee and neck injuries.
Brendan Fraser in The Mummy (1999)
Fraser was accidentally choked during a hanging scene and briefly lost consciousness after the stunt went wrong.
Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained (2012)
DiCaprio slammed his hand into a real glass during an intense scene, badly cutting it, but stayed in character and completed the take.
Channing Tatum in The Eagle (2011)
Tatum suffered burns when scalding water from a stunt effect accidentally spilled into his protective costume during filming.
