Plenty of battles have been waged recently over the controversial Mulan live-action remake from Disney, which made numerous changes to the beloved animated musical film, as well as working with a Chinese government that is currently holding more than a million Uighur Muslims in concentration camps.
Another battle takes place in the film itself, where Liu Yifei, the actress who played Fa Mulan, did ninety percent of her own stunts, even those that took place during a large-scale battle that was part of the film’s climax and was filmed without using CGI. If you say so, China.
Tom Cruise
As one of the most recognizable and highly-paid action stars in the world, Tom Cruise movies have an interest in keeping him from getting injured. Too bad, because Tom Cruise does all his own stunts. All of them. A lot of people see him as the standard for big-time action stars that eschew stuntmen.
Even back in the eighties with films like Risky Business and Top Gun, he was doing it all. His recent movies, including the Mission: Impossible series, have crazier and crazier stunts, and Cruise continues to do them all, which add to the realism and high-quality of the movies.
Sylvester Stallone
As the boxer from Philly who won the hearts of millions, Sylvester Stallone is best known for being able to take a punch and then throw one right back. He did do his own stunts in the films, though they were nothing compared to the stunts he would put himself through later in life.
Later in life, he would star as the main character in The Expendables and the sequels, which was bursting at the seams with heroic action stars and crazy events. Once again, Stallone did his own stunts, but the results weren't as good for him. The films did well and are tons of fun, but Sly ended up breaking his neck while filming a fight scene with WWE star “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Hugh Jackman
He's one of the very first superheroes in our new, modern era, and his maddening physique came along with superb acting skills and plenty of guts. Jackman let his claws fly as Wolverine beginning in 2000, and what a lot of fans don't know is a lot of the astonishing stunts the character did were thanks to Jackman himself. He's pretty firm about doing his own stunts, which helps the film be as real as possible.
It doesn't matter if he's fighting on top of the Statue of Liberty or leading a young girl through desolate wastelands in the most recent outing for his character, Jackman is ready.
Paul Walker
Even as the Fast and the Furious franchise – and the movie-loving world at large – mourns his death, we can look back at some of the incredible car stunts this actor pulled off. Some of the best stunts in his films were thanks to Walker, who was more than capable of doing most of the intense driving action himself.
It was only for insurance reasons that The Fast and the Furious movies had to bring in stuntmen and give Walker a break. His extensive celebrity garage is a simple way to see how much Walker enjoyed his cars and driving them