David Bowie with his Goblin King stunt performer from "Labyrinth." Pinterest
Jodie Foster’s sister was her stunt double in "Taxi Driver." Pinterest
Harrison Ford told his stunt double, “If you learn to talk, I’m in deep trouble.” Pinterest
Michael J. Fox required stunt performers for both the present and future. reddit
Tom Hardy and his Bane character double on the set of "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises." Imgur
Julie Andrews and her "Sound of Music" double looking very serious. Pinterest
Norman Reedus and his "Walking Dead" stunt performer.Pinterest
Rupert Grint side-by-side with his stunt performer.
Caitriona Balfe of "Outlander" and her double share a moment.Pinterest
Mads Mikkelsen shares his "Hannibal" action with his bloodied double. Pinterest
Kurt Russell needed his double's help in "Escaping from L.A." Pinterest
Harold Ramis and an unsung Ghostbuster.Pinterest
Even Laurel and Hardy needed stunt doubles. Pinterest
What’s better than one slave Leia? Not much, say men everywhere. Twisted Sifter
Everyone’s favorite disobedient young zombie killer, Carl, with his double -a woman in her 30s. Huffington Post
Indeed, Chris Hemsworth has a true lookalike. Fit 'n Flexed
Even our beloved Guardians need help saving the world. Screen Burn
Willow and her evil twin, triplet, and quadruplet on the set of "Buffy." Twisted Sifter
Spidey-sense lessons from Andrew Garfield. Huffington Post
Danny Trejo and double Norm Mora. Taringa
The makeup and wardrobe crew get to create Captain Jack Sparrow twice every day. Fit 'n Flexed
Jackie Chan and his stunt double.Fit 'n Flexed
Jennifer Lopez’s double – yes, that’s a man. Twisted Sifter
Robert Pattinson and his film double.Twisted Sifter
Scarlett Johansson and her very convincing double. New York Daily News
The shot that introduced a certain age group to the very existence of stunt doubles. Tumblr
Elijah Wood and his "Lord of the Rings" scale double.Over 3000
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and body double on the set of "Pain and Gain." Huffington Post
Seeing double Wonder Women.The Richest
With the rise of online streaming services, the film industry increasingly depends on high-impact visual effects to get people into theaters. Even if seldom-acknowledged, stunt doubles play an essential part in ensuring that audiences receive the action they anticipate. After all, you can’t do everything with CGI (and trust us, Hollywood, we don’t want you to).
Put simply, stunt doubling requires a certain corporeal intelligence that most actors lack -- and that intelligence can save a production from blowing the budget. As Machete Actor Danny Trejo said,"...I don’t want to risk 80 people’s jobs just so I can say I have big nuts. I don’t want to say that. Norm Mora is my stunt man, that’s his profession."
Since doubles and their actors need to seem -- even from a distance -- like the same person, the duos tend to bond during production. Some actors stick with the same stunt double for many different films, with people on the street even mistaking them for the actual celebrity. Above, check out these stunt doubles in action -- and see if you can spot the difference between his or her actor partner.
For more peeks into the film production world, check out these behind-the-scenes photos from your favorite movies.
