How Stunt Doubles Find Courage

When you are on the edge of your seat during a movie scene when a character jumps off a cliff, gets punched, or is thrown aside by superpowers, have you ever wondered who would be willing to take on such intense risks and execute these often life threatening scenes? Sometimes those people are the main actors, who are already playing the part in the rest of the movie, but more often, movies use professional stunt doubles to step in.

Stunt doubles are typically not recognized as much as the actors themselves because the camera hides their faces, making it appear as though the main actor is performing the dangerous falls or tasks. Unlike the actors, stunt doubles rarely appear in interviews, campaigns, or award ceremonies. They have to face fear-based situations that could hurt them physically, without the motivator of recognition for their hard work. That kind of courage can be described by intrinsic motivation, where there is something internal that acts based on personal values rather than external approval and praise.

A strong example of intrinsic motivation in action is the journey of Maria Hippolyte. She is a London-based stunt double who wanted to confront the lack of diversity in the stunt industry. However, she made it clear that she did not want to be hired simply because of the color of her skin, despite being only the second Black stunt woman working in the UK. Instead, she wanted to make an impact in the media by showing audiences that Black women can lead in action-packed films. She did this by working as a stunt double in Black Panther, doubling for Lupita Nyong’o. Hippolyte describes the days as long and exhausting, but the impact of the film felt like real progress, and she said she “couldn’t be prouder.” Her work was driven by a motivation to increase diversity in action films, which reflects her internal drive and intrinsic desires to overcome the risks involved. She did not perform for recognition, but to create change in modern media, and that is where her courage lies.

Stunt doubles like Maria Hippolyte show courage by taking on dangerous work for personal values rather than recognition. Without them, we would not be able to experience the realistic and high-risk action scenes that make films feel authentic.