Casting a stunt double is a necessary part of filming any movie or TV show. There are just some scenes that are too difficult, dangerous, or even risqué for actors to attempt themselves. With advanced filming techniques and magician-like hair, makeup, and wardrobe professionals on-hand, most body doubles need to be just that — a similar height, weight, and build of the celebrity they are standing in for. They don’t necessarily have to be look-a-likes.
Let’s take a moment to thank our lucky stars, however, because there are actually some stunt doubles who look shockingly like their A-list counterparts. Take a breath, because one of them happens to be Chris Hemsworth’s doppelganger! (As an aside, not only does this guy win the genetic lottery in life, but we are all lucky enough to know that there are regular human beings out in the world that bear a striking resemblance to the Hemsworths! More on that later …)
While these thespians may not have been born with an identical twin, their on-set stunt doubles so closely resemble them you’d be hard pressed to tell them apart! Just look at Reese Witherspoon and her longtime stunt double Marilee Lessley above. They are practically identical! And in some cases, the stunt double and actor look so similar that they end up working together for years.
Chris Hemsworth and his longtime stunt double have become good friends
Chris Hemsworth isn’t a newbie when it comes to action-packed flicks, and somehow the casting “Gods” were able to find a stunt double that not only looks like the legendary Thor, but is equally as jacked.
Bobby Holland Hanton has been working as Hemsworth’s body double for years, and he revealed to People that of all the roles the duo have worked on together, including the recent Netflix exclusive Extraction, the Thor films are the hardest. He explained, “Thor is definitely the most difficult character that we have to get in shape for. Chris is already huge, he’s much bigger than me naturally, so I have to train twice a day. It’s a job in itself.”
And train Hanton does. His Instagram account is filled with behind-the-scenes movie clips, training sessions, and plenty of candid appearances by Hemsworth himself. It’s an eye candy extravaganza — if you’re into that sort of thing …
The Rock and his stunt double are actually related
Imagine trying to cast someone as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s body double. Where do you even begin? His extended family is a good place to start. That’s exactly how his cousin, Tanoai Reed, started working as a stuntman. Not only do the twinning twosome have the same hulking physique, but they look more like brothers than cousins!
According to ET, Johnson and Reed have worked on pretty much every movie together for the last 17 years, including Furious Seven, Hercules, Pain & Gain, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Snitch, Get Smart, The Other Guys, and, most recently, Red Notice, which comes out on Netflix soon.
It’s not just a professional relationship that these cousin co-workers share, either. According to People, the former wrestler and his stunt double are so tight that The Rock surprised Reed, who at the time thought he was doing a behind-the-scenes promo for one of their movies, with a custom pickup truck to thank him for all his years of hard work. That’s a pretty sweet bonus!
Halle Berry and her body double are workout twins
Not only do Halle Berry and her stunt double for John Wick 3 look nearly identical, but they have a similar work ethic and training schedule that made them fast friends. In an Instagram post celebrating the popular hashtag #FitnessFriday, Berry posted a photo with her stunt double Anisha Gibbs, from the set of John Wick 3, with the comment, “Anisha has worked with me since #JohnWick3, and is setting the stunt women game on [fire]. Top that with her gorgeous soul and infectious personality, and you’ve got an extra special start to the weekend.”
Similarly, in May of 2019, Gibbs told People, “Halle’s work ethic is absolutely incredible and I admire her so much. Halle loves the craft as much as I do, which made training that much more intense, and her work ethic, drive and determination were impeccable.” Good luck trying to tell these two apart on set or in real life!
Keanu Reeves doesn't age and neither does his stunt double
Whether Keanu Reeves has a haunted portrait tucked away in his attic or he’s Benjamin Buttoning all of us, the guy doesn’t seem to age, and neither does his identical stunt double, who has worked with him for years, Chad Stahelski. The two met on the set of The Matrix back in 1999 and have been working together ever since.
Here’s the literal kicker: According to former kickboxer, Stahelski, he was 30 years old on the set of a show called The Pretenders, when he explained to IndieWire that his boss at the time said to him, “Hey, you look like Keanu Reeves. You do all that martial arts stuff, right? They’re having an audition for something down in Burbank. Why don’t you go check it out after you’re done with this?” That conversation changed his life.
Fifteen year later, Stahelski ended up on the other side of the camera, making his debut directing Keanu Reeves in John Wick — the very same friend he spent years stunt doubling for. You can’t make this stuff up!
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