When Sam Raimi wanted a villainous actor for the Green Goblin in the first live-action Spider-Man movie (which came out in 2002), he ended up choosing Willem Dafoe. When it came to light that the man who played the Green Goblin would have to do lots of stunts, Willem Dafoe shrugged and got into costume.
Over ninety percent of the stunts were performed by Defoe himself, and even though the character is wearing a mask during these stunts, you can still clearly see Defoe’s recognizable eyes behind it. He gives an incredible performance as a character who is overtaken by madness and doesn’t let a stuntman stop him.
Naomie Harris
Anybody who appears in a Bond film is going to need to put in the necessary work to make the action look real, and that includes Naomie Harris, who plays the most recent iteration of the classic Moneypenny character. Harris had three months of extensive training in shooting, fighting, and driving to prepare her for the role of Bond girl.
She did all of her own stunts in Skyfall, as well as a good deal of them in movies like Rampage and Black and Blue. The most difficult stunt she did, according to stunt coordinator Gary Powell, was driving, which required keeping close to the camera, hitting the right spots, and keeping her speed up.
Chris Evans
Few actors have such a superhero pedigree as Evans. From the Human Torch to Captain America as well as characters from other hero-centric stories, this Chris has to do plenty of stunt work. Evans's dedication to his craft has led to him putting on tons of muscle, and for all of his films as Captain America – beginning in 2011 with Captain America: First Avenger.
He does all sorts of stunts in all of the films he appears in, whether it's fighting against Red Skull and the Nazis or saving the entire universe from Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet.
Angelina Jolie
This one might come as a surprise. Sure, she's been in a few, but Jolie isn't what a lot of people would call an action star. Still, the Tomb Raider series, Wanted, Salt, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Gone in 60 Seconds have all given her a chance to show her action-star stuff.
Whether it's trading shots with her husband, showing her young protege how to curve a bullet, or pretending the Tomb Raider movies are worth anything, she never lets a fake take her place. She strives for authenticity in everything, and that means she's going to be on-screen as much as possible.
Hayley Atwell
While she's only appeared in a few of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Atwell made waves as Margaret “Peggy” Carter from Agent Carter, a short series that had Atwell handling guns, critical information, and foes in equal number as she worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.
All of those fight scenes – as well as pretty much every other stunt that Agent Carter is put through – is thanks to Atwell herself. While the show was pretty short, Atwell got to make another appearance as Carter in Avengers: Endgame, where she is finally reunited with her love, Captain America himself.