It may be painful, but it will definitely earn you street cred in Hollywood -- or at least a few bruises. Though most actors and actresses opt for a stunt double to take on the most dangerous -- or even the least dangerous -- action sequences, more and more celebs are showing they are as fearless as some of their on-screen characters.
Most recently, Kristen Stewart revealed that she chose to do most of her own stunts for her upcoming feature "Snow White and the Huntsman."
"[Director] Rupert [Sanders] beat me up. He definitely threw me off cliffs and made me trudge through frigid, icy waters. It looks so cool, though," Stewart said. "I can actually see the pain and discomfort on my face. It's awesome."
Stewart is no stranger to performing her own stunts. Her "Twilight" co-star Ashley Greene said that Stewart and the rest of the crew were ambitious in pulling off their own stunts.
However, insurance companies often intrude and prevent stars from making their own choices on whether or not they perform all of their own stunts. Insurance was an issue for Christian Bale on the set of "The Fighter," impeding him from performing all of his own stunt work.
But when actors and actresses do get the go-ahead to perform their own stunts, most do it for authenticity, because it makes the scenes more believable.
Here's a look at 13 other stars who have taken on the dangers of stunt work during filming.
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Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie has never been afraid to get her hands dirty during filming. In her 2010 film "Salt," Jolie <a href="http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/22/angelina-jolie-does-her-own-stunts-in-salt/" target="_hplink">did not use a stunt double</a>, instead opting to do all the stunts on her own.
Harrison Ford
The now 69-year-old actor reportedly performed his own stunts <a href="http://anythinghollywood.com/2008/05/harrison-ford-did-most-of-his-own-stunt-in-indiana-jones/" target="_hplink">during filming of the "Indiana Jones" serie</a>s.
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan is probably the most well known for doing his own stunts. The <a href="http://www.cracked.com/funny-595-jackie-chan/" target="_hplink">martial arts master made a career for himself</a> by performing all of his own stunts, especially in his early films. Chan later developed a stunt team that often trains other actors to do their own stunt work.
Josh Hutcherson
Josh Hutcherson did <a href="http://movies.yahoo.com/news/interview-josh-hutcherson-doing-own-stunts-hunger-games-182800026.html" target="_hplink">100 percent of his stunt</a>s during filming of "The Hunger Games."
Jason Statham
Ever since his first low-budget film, Statham has pulled his own stunts. However, <a href="http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Jason-Statham-talks-about-doing-his-own-stunts-and-The-Expendables-sequel/7914675" target="_hplink">Statham said this rep has dug him quite a hole</a>, since his fans now expect him to push the limit in performing stunt work in all of his films.
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart <a href="http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2012/04/11/kristen-stewart-swath-snow-white-and-the-huntsman/" target="_hplink">recently revealed</a> that she performed most of her own stunts in her upcoming film, "Snow White and the Huntsman." Though the stunts were more minimal in the "Twilight" series, Stewart, along with the rest of the crew, <a href="http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/ashley-greene-breaking-dawn-stunts/" target="_hplink">reportedly pulled their own tricks during the battle scenes</a>.
Daniel Craig
Like others before him, the newest James Bond prefers to do <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/3073879/Daniel-Craigs-Casino-Royale-leap-is-James-Bonds-best-stunt.html" target="_hplink">as many of his own stunts as possible for authenticity</a>.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise has always insisted on doing his own stunts in his action movies, and there's still no stopping the 49-year-old. Cruise <a href="http://www.eonline.com/redcarpet/2012/premieres/news/tom-cruise-talks-doing-his-own-stunts-does-katie-approve/282011" target="_hplink">most recently performed some dangerous thrills</a> in the fourth installment of the "Mission: Impossible" series.
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz followed co-star Tom Cruise's lead in "Knight and Day," and did most of her own stunts for the film, including stunt driving. When Diaz attended the Golden Globes during film, she said <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_cameron-diaz-loves-to-do-her-own-stunts_1420476" target="_hplink">she was covered in cuts and bruises</a>.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
At 64-years-old Arnold Schwarzenegger is still doing his own stunts. On the set of his most recent film "Last Stand," Schwarzenegger refused to let a stuntman step in to do the more dangerous stunts because <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/27/arnold-schwarzenegger-stuntman-last-stand-movie/#.T4b_CZrLxXc" target="_hplink">he thought it was more believable</a> for him to do the action sequences.
Gina Carano
Gina Carano was not an actress by trade when she was chosen for her breakout role as Mallory Kane in the 2011 film "Haywire." In fact, Carano, was chosen for the role because of her <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/01/20/review-haywire-could-turn-mma-star-gina-carano-into-movie-star/" target="_hplink">experience as a mixed martial arts fighter</a>.
Christian Bale
As Batman, Christian Bale <a href="http://jezebel.com/5024879/christian-bale-trades-batman-for-brooklyn-tough-guy" target="_hplink">performed most of his own stunts</a>. Unfortunately, Bale was not allowed to follow suit in "The Fighter," and was instructed by an insurance company to let a stunt double step in.
Chloe Moretz
As 11-year-old superhero Hit Girl in the 2010 film "Kickass," <a href="http://buzzlog.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93585" target="_hplink">Chloe Moretz did almost all of her own stunts</a> -- aside from the wall-climbing scene. To prepare for the role, Moretz trained with Jackie Chan's stunt team.
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen is not afraid of doing his own stunts, even if it may earn him some injuries. As Aragorn in "The Lord of The Rings" series, Mortensen <a href="http://dailyfreepress.com/2012/02/29/the-return-of-the-king-viggo-mortensen-comes-to-coolidge-corner/" target="_hplink">proved that he is an excellent swordsman</a> and in "Hidalgo,L Mortensen showed off his equestrian skills.
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The Huffington Post | By Sara Gates Posted: 04/28/2012 1:36 pm Updated: 04/28/2012 1:45 pm