It seems to be a generally accepted belief that when an actor can perform their own stunts for a film, that it is better for the movie if they do so. Tom Cruise has certainly taken this idea to heart, insisting on doing all of his stunts, even when it involves jumping off cliffs on motorcycles. But another major action star, Sylvester Stallone, is advocating against actors doing their own stunts, as he’s dealing with lifelong physical issues because of it.
Speaking with TMZ, Stallone described an incident on the set of the first Expendables movie where he and Stone Cold Steve Austin were doing a fight scene together. As the director, Stallone was the one in charge of the scene, and he put himself on the line in the sequence, which resulted in an injury severe enough to require multiple surgeries over the next several years. Stallone explained…
I did stupid stuff. I was directing Expendables and like an idiot I’m doing take ten, take whatever, and I remember one slam and I could actually feel one bang. Steve knew. I never recovered from Expendables 1. After that film, it was never physically the same.
One can only imagine what it was like for Stallone as he got slammed by Stone Cold only to feel something in his back give out. Stallone says he’s needed seven different surgeries since the incident in 2010, and he has a metal plate in his neck.
And the Expendables injury isn’t the only one the actor has had to deal with over the years. The actor has discussed breaking toes during Rocky Balboa, and has said the last Rambo movie did “damage” to him.
Sylvester Stallone has made his share of action movies over the years, and he likely did a lot of the action himself, but at some point, the years catch up to you. And to be fair Sylvester Stallone is more than 15 years older than Tom Cruise, but Cruise himself is 61, so one has to wonder how long it will take for Cruise to be at this point. Tom Cruise did break an ankle filming a Mission: Impossible movie, but to our knowledge, it hasn’t impacted him long-term the way Stallone’s injury did.
Getting seriously injured is, of course, the main reason that stuntmen exist. And big stars are generally dissuaded from doing dangerous stunts. If a movie is delayed due to a star’s injury it costs money, so insurance companies generally frown on letting the headliners do stuff that could get them hurt. Of course, Tom Cruise fires insurance companies that don’t want him climbing buildings.
There will always be those actors who insist on doing their own stunts, but credit should also be given to the incredible stunt teams who do their part. Maybe Stallone has a point that actors should take more care and avoid “stupid stuff.” Stuntpeople are trained professionals who know how to take these bumps better than most actors.