10 Actors Who Discovered Martial Arts For Their Roles

Discover out which stars took up martial arts…

To organize for her function because the Black Widow within the MCU, Scarlett Johansson skilled intensively within the health club 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 health club earlier than getting forged within the function. The Avengers struggle choreographer Jonathan Eusebio shared that Scarlett put in months of labor to prepare for the movie.

“We lined a mixture of totally 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 function within the The Darkish Knight trilogy, Christian Bale started coaching in Wing Chun, a martial arts model that prioritizes hand-to-hand fight and fast punches, in addition to the Spanish Keysi Preventing Methodology.

“The very first time that I met with Chris (Nolan) after him asking me to play the function, he had mentioned he actually wished me to be concerned within the combating method in order that it type of regarded natural and regarded 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 completed. But it surely was price it,” Keanu shared again in 1999. “Your complete expertise was fantastic. It was like an opportunity to play cowboy and Indians for me, you recognize, to actually have time in a shoot ’em-up model. 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 function in Atomic Blondeshe started working on her martial arts abilities. For six weeks main as much as filming, Charlize skilled two to a few hours a day in all totally different sorts of martial arts. She turned so good that it truly modified filming plans. Director David Leitch thought Charlize was solely going to have the ability to do just a few strikes each take — however she ended up with the ability to do as much as 30 strikes in succession.

“Your complete stunt workforce was very pleasantly shocked at her total bodily skill,” stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave instructed Folks. “She was extraordinarily robust; she did 95 % of all of her personal combating.”

He continued, “Quite a lot of it’s pure, God-given expertise that she was born with. She’s only a very coordinated and athletic particular person to start with, however I can attest to the exhausting work that she put in, and that’s what separates the nice ones from the good ones, for my part. Onerous work was one of many bedrocks of her coaching, and I feel it actually reveals within the closing product.”

Earlier than Simu Liu landed his function in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringshe could have exaggerated his martial arts capabilities. Wanting again, Simu says he “had completed some work as an on-again, off-again stuntman,” however was largely a dancer. As quickly as he received forged, he started working on constructing his martial arts abilities.

Earlier than Jessica Alba made her mark on the large display screen, she starred within the Fox collection Darkish Angel as a supersoldier who escaped a army facility. To organize for the function, she skilled in each martial arts and gymnastics — which ignited her ardour for health. Via 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 combating roles all through her profession.

“My very first massive function was in a TV present that James Cameron created known as Darkish Angel. I used to be 17 after I was employed for it. I skilled for a few yr and a half. With that as my basis, I received to flex my muscle tissue…However I received to actually use my foundational abilities in stunts and apply it to this film, which was superior,” Jessica shared whereas speaking about her 2024 movie Set off Warning.

“After I received the half, they requested me about my martial arts background and expertise, which after all I exaggerated as a result of I wished 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 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 skilled underneath a grappler ​​to grow to be extraordinarily proficient on the sport. He ended up actually loving the expertise and now steadily practices jiu-jitsu — a ability which he’s taken with him to different movies like Venom.

Kevin James needed to prepare for his function within the combined martial arts comedy Right here Comes the Increase the place he performed a biology instructor turned MMA fighter. Main as much as the movie, he says he skilled with UFC fighters every time he received the prospect 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 might arrange in a lodge and simply go, ‘All proper, put these gloves on!’ And we might simply go and begin understanding so my motion would seem like I type of knew what I used to be doing and it simply grew,” he instructed ESPN. “Then there was energy coaching and understanding and tightening up my physique, which was brutal. It by no means received tight, tight, but it surely received nearer.”

For his function in Say Something…, John Cusack skilled in kickboxing — though it wasn’t an enormous a part of the function. He skilled alongside world champion Benny Urquidez and has continued to work with him for over 20 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 instructed the New York Day by day Information. “He’s received the type of management that I can put a cigarette in my mouth and he can kick it proper out with out hitting me.”

Brie Larson received a crash course in martial arts earlier than taking up her starring function 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 abilities. 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 exhausting as I can and see how far I might go,’” she instructed Folks. “I used to be capable of get means additional than I ever thought I might 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 aspect 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 reside my life.”