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Take that!
Whilst most directors enlist the help of stunt doubles to carry out the most taxing action sequences, these performers are happy to shoot their own fights scenes because they are martial arts experts. Read on to discover the stars who have black belts in judo, karate, taekwondo and more... (©BANG Showbiz)
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Sarah Michelle Gellar
When the Hollywood actress landed the titular role on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ in 1996, she took lessons in Taekwondo so she could shoot her own fights scenes, earning herself a black belt in the sport. Gellar has also has studied other forms of martial arts including kickboxing, street fighting and gymnastics. (©BANG Showbiz)
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Jackie Chan
Chan's mastery of martials arts has made him an action legend all over the world, with stars on both the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has a black belt in Hapkido and also trained in karate, judo, Taekwondo and Jeet Kune Do. Chan is famous for doing all his own stunts and has suffered numerous injuries during his career including a dislocated pelvis on the set of 1965's 'Police Story'. (©BANG Showbiz)
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Evan Rachel Wood
The ‘Westworld’ star used her knowledge of Taekwondo to perform her own stunts in the sci-fi series. She said: "I have a black belt in Taekwondo. I've trained for a long time and I'm happy to finally show my skills to the world." (©BANG Showbiz)
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Ryan Reynolds
Reynolds starred in his first ever superhero film when he was cast in 2004’s ‘Blade: Trinity’ as Hannibal King. In order to prepare for his role Reynolds had to undergo “brutal” training to achieve that extremely muscular and chiselled physique. In order to gain more muscle for the role, his intense training and workout included learning and training in advanced martial arts for the film. (©BANG Showbiz)
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Gisele Bundchen
She’s known for strutting her stuff on the Victoria’s Secret runway - but there is more than meets the eye with Gisele. The Brazilian supermodel is also a frequent practitioner of kung-fu. And thanks to her extreme fitness regime, she became the face of sportswear company Under Armour back in 2014. (©BANG Showbiz)
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Khloe Kardashian
'The Kardashians’ star has no trouble keeping up with her sparring and she can deliver knockout blows, too. In 2020, Khloe gave her fans a peek into her intense boxing workout in a ‘Khlo-Fit’ video. Khloe proved that she could definitely handle herself and throw a punch. (©BANG Showbiz)
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Courteney Cox
The 'Friends' star is a long –time practitioner of Budokan karate. She began training after the birth of her daughter Coco in 2004. Feeling empowered by the practice, Cox trains several times a week, so much so she even shared her passion for the sports with best friend and 'Friends' co-star Jennifer Aniston. (© BANG Showbiz)
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Keanu Reeves
Looks like years of playing Neo in ‘The Matrix’ have rubbed off on Keanu, who got involved in martial arts in preparation for his role. In order to embody the role of Neo, Keanu underwent extensive training in multiple arts, including boxing, jiu-jitsu, wushu and krav maga. He also learned karate and judo for his role in the 'John Wick' franchise. (©BANG Showbiz)
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Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot - who served in the Israel Defense Forces - for two years, said training for 'Wonder Woman' was much harder than training for the Israeli army. In order to prepare for her role in the 2017 superhero flick Gal took up training in Jiu-Jitsu, kung fu and kickboxing.
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Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu was a follower of martial arts long before her ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and ‘Kill Bill’ roles. Not only is Lucy a black belt in the martial art of Wushu, which she began training at the age of eight, she also practices kali-eskrima-silat – a martial art involving sticks and knives. (© BANG Showbiz)
Whilst most directors enlist the help of stunt doubles to carry out the most taxing action sequences, these performers are happy to shoot their own fights scenes because they are martial arts experts.
