Black Actresses Who Perform Their Own Stunts

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Modern action movies demand a lot physically from actors, who now often train intensely to make their performances believable. Several Black actresses have really stood out in this trend, performing their own challenging fight choreography and stunts. This usually means months of training in areas like martial arts, weapon use, and tactical skills. By doing their own stunts, these actresses make their characters and the movies themselves feel more realistic and exciting.

Halle Berry

To get ready for her role as Sofia in ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’, Halle Berry trained for six months, learning martial arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, and becoming skilled with weapons. She worked closely with professional stunt teams to prepare. Remarkably, she broke three ribs during filming but continued working to keep the fight scenes realistic. Director Chad Stahelski often highlights her dedication to performing most of her own stunts, including complex fight choreography and working with dogs.

Danai Gurira

Danai Gurira gained fame for her skilled sword work as Michonne on ‘The Walking Dead’. She stayed in top physical condition for the role by regularly practicing sword fighting and focusing on overall fitness. Gurira brought this expertise to her role as Okoye in ‘Black Panther’, performing many of her own fight scenes. She frequently encourages actresses to do their own stunts, believing it helps them connect more deeply with their characters’ physical experiences.

Zoe Saldaña

Zoe Saldaña is known for doing many of her own stunts, a skill she developed thanks to her dance training, which gave her a strong base for learning fight choreography. For her role as Gamora in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, she trained with stunt teams to become proficient in different fighting styles. In both ‘Avatar’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, she combined motion-capture technology with challenging underwater and aerial stunts. Her athleticism consistently allows her to meet the physically demanding requirements of big blockbuster films.

Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith proved she could handle action roles by doing many of her own stunts in ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions.’ As the character Niobe, she trained intensely in martial arts to make her fight scenes look realistic and fast. She continued to prioritize physical strength and training when she played Fish Mooney in the series ‘Gotham.’ Smith has often talked about how staying in good shape is crucial for tackling the challenges of her different roles.

Sonequa Martin-Green

Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Michael Burnham in ‘Star Trek: Discovery,’ is known for performing many of her own stunts. She does most of the fight scenes and wirework herself, and often spends hours training to prepare. Martin-Green believes performing her own stunts helps her better understand and portray the character’s emotions during those moments. Her experience with theater and physical movement has been key to mastering the challenging stunts required for the sci-fi series.

Lupita Nyong’o

To get ready for her role as Nakia in ‘Black Panther’, Lupita Nyong’o underwent intense stunt training. She dedicated several hours each day to learning African-style martial arts and how to use weapons, with a special focus on ring blades. This allowed her to do many of her own action scenes, like the fast-paced chase in Busan. Nyong’o felt that the physical demands of the role were crucial to showing how strong and skilled her character was.

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett is famous for dramatically changing her body for roles, starting with the challenging dance sequences in ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’. She’s continued to embrace physically demanding work in recent years, performing stunts in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ films and the series ‘9-1-1’. Even as Queen Ramonda in ‘Black Panther’, she brought a powerful physical presence that needed strength and grace. Throughout her career, Bassett has consistently committed to the physical aspects of portraying iconic characters.

Pam Grier

Pam Grier rose to fame in the 1970s as a groundbreaking action star in films like ‘Coffy’ and ‘Foxy Brown’ by doing her own stunts. Unlike most actresses at the time who used stunt doubles, Grier insisted on performing fight scenes and car chases herself to make her characters feel authentic. She became a role model for women in action films, proving she was a powerful and capable performer. This dedication helped establish her as a true pioneer of the genre and a lasting icon.

Lashana Lynch

Lashana Lynch trained extensively with military professionals to prepare for her role as Nomi in ‘No Time to Die’. She did most of her own stunts, tackling difficult weapon handling and intricate fight choreography. This preparation allowed her to seamlessly fit into the action-packed world of James Bond. Lynch has explained that performing her own stunts was key to portraying a strong and contemporary 00 agent.

Letitia Wright

For ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ Letitia Wright had a much more physically active role, leading several large action scenes. She trained hard in different fighting styles to get ready for the film’s big battles. Even after getting injured while filming, she was determined and came back to perform many of her own stunts. Her performance showed both impressive physical skill and the emotional journey of Shuri becoming a warrior.

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2026-02-17 10:15