10 Actors Who Realized Martial Arts For Their Roles

Discover out which stars took up martial arts…

To arrange for her position because the Black Widow within the MCU, Scarlett Johansson educated intensively within the gymnasium and in a wide range of martial arts disciplines. It was an enormous change for the actress, who says she had by no means even stepped foot in a gymnasium earlier than getting forged within the position. The Avengers combat choreographer Jonathan Eusebio shared that Scarlett put in months of labor to prepare for the movie.

“We coated a mixture of completely different martial arts, however extra sensible martial arts; a mixture of karate, Jiu-Jitsu, judo, Filipino martial arts and Muay Thai boxing. It was a bunch of various parts from a bunch of sensible martial arts,” he defined.

Whereas preparing for his starring position within the The Darkish Knight trilogy, Christian Bale started coaching in Wing Chun, a martial arts type that prioritizes hand-to-hand fight and fast punches, in addition to the Spanish Keysi Combating Methodology.

“The very first time that I met with Chris [Nolan] after him asking me to play the position, he had mentioned he actually needed me to be concerned within the preventing approach in order that it sort of appeared natural and appeared like one thing that I had invented myself,” Christian shared.

Earlier than filming the primary Matrix film, Keanu Reeves underwent an exhaustive four-month coaching program with legendary martial arts choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping. Earlier than filming started, the director required all of his stars to decide to the intensive coaching course of.

“It was difficult, not simply within the bodily sense, but in addition mentally difficult. This was one of many hardest issues I’ve ever carried out. Nevertheless it was value it,” Keanu shared again in 1999. “Your entire expertise was great. It was like an opportunity to play cowboy and Indians for me, you already know, to essentially have a very good time in a shoot ’em-up type. And we had been the primary western actors to ever do this, the wires and the stunts. It felt actually satisfying to be pushing the envelope.”

When Charlize Theron landed her position in Atomic Blonde, she started working on her martial arts expertise. For six weeks main as much as filming, Charlize educated two to a few hours a day in all completely different sorts of martial arts. She grew to become so good that it truly modified filming plans. Director David Leitch thought Charlize was solely going to have the ability to do a couple of strikes each take — however she ended up with the ability to do as much as 30 strikes in succession.

“Your entire stunt crew was very pleasantly stunned at her general bodily capability,” stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave informed Folks. “She was extraordinarily powerful; she did 95 p.c of all of her personal preventing.”

He continued, “Loads of it’s pure, God-given expertise that she was born with. She’s only a very coordinated and athletic individual to start with, however I can attest to the arduous work that she put in, and that’s what separates the great ones from the good ones, in my view. Arduous work was one of many bedrocks of her coaching, and I believe it actually exhibits within the last product.”

Earlier than Simu Liu landed his position in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, he might have exaggerated his martial arts capabilities. Trying again, Simu says he “had carried out some work as an on-again, off-again stuntman,” however was principally a dancer. As quickly as he obtained forged, he started working on constructing his martial arts expertise.

Earlier than Jessica Alba made her mark on the massive display, she starred within the Fox collection Darkish Angel as a supersoldier who escaped a army facility. To arrange for the position, she educated in each martial arts and gymnastics — which ignited her ardour for health. By the years, she says she’s dabbled in “a bunch of various disciplines in martial arts,” together with Krav Maga. It’s helped her with different preventing roles all through her profession.

“My very first huge position was in a TV present that James Cameron created referred to as Darkish Angel. I used to be 17 after I was employed for it. I educated for a couple of yr and a half. With that as my basis, I obtained to flex my muscular tissues…However I obtained to essentially use my foundational expertise in stunts and apply it to this film, which was superior,” Jessica shared whereas speaking about her 2024 movie Set off Warning.

“After I obtained the half, they requested me about my martial arts background and expertise, which after all I exaggerated as a result of I needed the job actually badly,” Simu mentioned throughout Selection’s Actors on Actors collection. “Just about from the second I used to be forged, I began working with trainers and studying the way to transfer.”

Tom Hardy discovered a lifelong ardour for Brazilian jiu-jitsu whereas coaching for his 2011 film Warrior. Main as much as filming, the place he performed an MMA fighter, Tom educated below a grappler ​​to turn out to be extraordinarily proficient on the sport. He ended up actually loving the expertise and now incessantly practices jiu-jitsu — a talent which he’s taken with him to different movies like Venom.

Kevin James needed to practice for his position within the blended martial arts comedy Right here Comes the Increase the place he performed a biology trainer turned MMA fighter. Main as much as the movie, he says he educated with UFC fighters each time he obtained the possibility between his busy schedule in order that he was able to carry out his personal stunts.

“We had the entry to deliver UFC fighters in, whether or not we had been touring, whether or not I used to be doing stand-up or selling a film, we’d arrange in a resort and simply go, ‘All proper, put these gloves on!’ And we’d simply go and begin understanding so my motion would appear like I sort of knew what I used to be doing and it simply grew,” he informed ESPN. “Then there was energy coaching and understanding and tightening up my physique, which was brutal. It by no means obtained tight, tight, but it surely obtained nearer.”

For his position in Say Something…, John Cusack educated in kickboxing — despite the fact that it wasn’t an enormous a part of the position. He educated alongside world champion Benny Urquidez and has continued to work with him for over twenty years. With all of the work he’s put in behind the scenes, Benny says he’s extremely impressed by John.

“I’ve by no means seen a person who’s 6-feet-4 have the ability to transfer like that. He attracts you in, he umbrellas you want an octopus. You don’t know the place he’s going to assault you,” he informed the New York Each day Information. “He’s obtained the sort of management that I can put a cigarette in my mouth and he can kick it proper out with out hitting me.”

Brie Larson obtained a crash course in martial arts earlier than taking up her starring position in Captain Marvel. She carved out 9 months to prepare for the film, crafting an intense coaching regime which included engaged on her martial arts expertise. Even after filming wrapped, she says she has continued along with her coaching.

“I carved out 9 months, and was like ‘I’m going to hit it as arduous as I can and see how far I might go,’” she informed Folks. “I used to be capable of get method additional than I ever thought I’d ever get to in my life. I by no means thought I’d have the ability to deadlift 225 lbs, by no means thought I might hip thrust 400 lbs, I didn’t even know hip thrust existed earlier than and in order that was nice.”

She continued, “The martial arts, the boxing, all of that added a brand new ingredient that’s actually caught with me that I can’t wait to spend the remainder of my life persevering with to check. As a result of I like the house my mind will get into after I’m doing it, it’s like a meditation, it actually sticks with me and it’s profoundly modified the best way I stay my life.”