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Without stunt performers, there would be no Hollywood. At the very least, every movie would be akin to a Samuel Beckett play in which characters do little more than talk. Stunt performers do more than just hurl themselves off buildings, light themselves on fire, and crash cars. They can take the place of actors for everything from horseback riding to dancing, ensuring that the physical performance is as true to the character as possible.
However, there are some actors who famously insist on doing almost all of their own stunts. Chief among them is Tom Cruise, who you can find littered over the proverbial pages of record books for doing things like climbing the tallest building in the world in 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and riding a motorbike off a cliff and launching a parachute in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Another actor known for doing her own stunts is Charlize Theron. It can be easy to forget that the South African star does most of her own action sequences. This might be because she is equally well-known for her dramatic work as her action work, but it is also probably because she makes it look easy. In the 2017 ‘80s throwback spy movie Atomic Blonde, for example, she had to learn up to 30 moves in succession to stab, kick, and punch her way up a staircase, a sequence she made look so flawless that even director David Leitch, a former stuntman himself, could not find fault.
One of the reasons that Theron is such a formidable stuntperson is that early in her career, she had a wake-up call about what can happen if you don’t fully commit to doing a stunt. In 2004, she was filming the futuristic sci-fi movie Aeon Flux when she suffered a freak accident while doing a wire-hanging stunt on a trampoline. It forced the production to shut down, and it changed the way the star approached action sequences from then on.
“What happened on Aeon Flux was a very unfortunate accident, and it was very severe,” she said in 2017. “I was a centimetre away from being completely paralysed for the rest of my life. It definitely woke me up to, OK, you have to be prepared.”
The injury left her with chronic pain, spasms, and nerve damage. “I ended up having a (neck) fusion four years ago, and it was the best thing I ever did,” she said. “Now my body’s functioning perfectly again, and I obviously didn’t want to mess that up.”
Many actors would take an experience like this as a sign that they need to not do their own stunts anymore, but Theron had a different takeaway. Instead of letting stunt performers take over, she just makes sure that she comes to set extra prepared. “I love storytelling through the physical,” she explained, adding, “I’m not interested in doing stupid things, but I am interested in learning new things. It’s different to getting on a motorcycle and doing something stupid — it’s precise.”
Since her near-death accident in 2004, Theron has starred in stunt-heavy movies including Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, and The Old Guard, the latter two of which are getting sequels.
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In a shocking turn of events, Charlize Theron found herself in a life-threatening situation while filming a scene for her latest movie. The scene, which involved a high-speed car chase through a crowded city street, took a disastrous turn when the brakes on Theron’s car failed, sending her careening out of control.
As the car spun wildly out of control, Theron’s life flashed before her eyes. She had always been known for her fearless attitude and willingness to perform her own stunts, but this was a situation unlike any she had ever faced before. With death seemingly imminent, Theron’s quick thinking and reflexes kicked in as she managed to regain control of the car just moments before disaster struck.
Miraculously, Theron emerged from the harrowing ordeal unscathed, but shaken to her core. The incident served as a stark reminder of the dangers that come with performing dangerous stunts in the name of art, and the importance of safety precautions on set.
Despite the near-death experience, Theron remained committed to completing the scene, determined to deliver a performance that would leave audiences on the edge of their seats. And when the final cut hit theaters, viewers were left in awe of Theron’s bravery and dedication to her craft.
The scene that almost killed Charlize Theron may have been a close call, but it ultimately served as a testament to her resilience and unwavering commitment to her craft. And as she continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in Hollywood, one thing is for certain: Charlize Theron is a force to be reckoned with.
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Charlize Theron, movie scene, behind the scenes, near-death experience, intense filming, Hollywood actress, film production, near miss, on-set drama, acting challenges, Hollywood stunts, Hollywood drama.
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