Discover out which stars took up martial arts…

To organize for her function because the Black Widow within the MCU, Scarlett Johansson educated intensively within the health club and in quite a lot 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 solid within the function. The Avengers combat choreographer Jonathan Eusebio shared that Scarlett put in months of labor to prepare for the movie.

“We lined 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 function 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 Technique.

“The very first time that I met with Chris [Nolan] after him asking me to play the function, he had mentioned he actually needed me to be concerned within the preventing method in order that it type of seemed natural and seemed 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 executed. However it was price it,” Keanu shared again in 1999. “All the expertise was fantastic. It was like an opportunity to play cowboy and Indians for me, , to essentially have a superb time in a shoot ’em-up type. And we had been the primary western actors to ever do that, the wires and the stunts. It felt actually satisfying to be pushing the envelope.”

When Charlize Theron landed her function in Atomic Blonde, she started working on her martial arts expertise. For six weeks main as much as filming, Charlize educated two to 3 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 number of strikes each take — however she ended up having the ability to do as much as 30 strikes in succession.

“All the stunt workforce was very pleasantly shocked at her general bodily potential,” stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave advised Folks. “She was extraordinarily powerful; she did 95 % of all of her personal preventing.”

He continued, “Plenty 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 onerous work that she put in, and that’s what separates the great ones from the good ones, for my part. Arduous work was one of many bedrocks of her coaching, and I believe it actually reveals within the remaining product.”

Earlier than Simu Liu landed his function in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, he might have exaggerated his martial arts capabilities. Trying again, Simu says he “had executed some work as an on-again, off-again stuntman,” however was largely a dancer. As quickly as he received solid, 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 navy facility. To organize for the function, she educated in each martial arts and gymnastics — which ignited her ardour for health. By way of 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 massive function was in a TV present that James Cameron created referred to as Darkish Angel. I used to be 17 once I was employed for it. I educated for a couple of yr and a half. With that as my basis, I received to flex my muscular tissues…However I received 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 received the half, they requested me about my martial arts background and expertise, which in fact 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 solid, 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 change into extraordinarily proficient on the sport. He ended up actually loving the expertise and now regularly practices jiu-jitsu — a talent which he’s taken with him to different movies like Venom.

Kevin James needed to prepare for his function within the blended martial arts comedy Right here Comes the Growth the place he performed a biology trainer turned MMA fighter. Main as much as the movie, he says he educated 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 convey 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 might simply go and begin figuring out so my motion would appear like I type of knew what I used to be doing and it simply grew,” he advised ESPN. “Then there was power coaching and figuring out and tightening up my physique, which was brutal. It by no means received tight, tight, however it received nearer.”

For his function in Say Something…, John Cusack educated in kickboxing — despite the fact that it wasn’t an enormous a part of the function. 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 be capable 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 advised the New York Every 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 expertise. Even after filming wrapped, she says she has continued together with her coaching.

“I carved out 9 months, and was like ‘I’m going to hit it as onerous as I can and see how far I may go,’” she advised Folks. “I used to be capable of get approach additional than I ever thought I might ever get to in my life. I by no means thought I’d be capable to deadlift 225 lbs, by no means thought I may 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 review. As a result of I like the house my mind will get into once I’m doing it, it’s like a meditation, it actually sticks with me and it’s profoundly modified the best way I dwell my life.”