10 Stars Who ONLY Trusted Themselves To Perform Big Movie Scenes

1. Buster Keaton Wouldn't Drop A House On A Stuntman - Steamboat Bill Jr.

Buster Keaton is of course one of the most celebrated stunt performers of all time, pioneering death-defying stunt work that's still palm-sweatingly thrilling almost a century later.

Keaton famously refused to use stunt doubles for the first decade of his career, culminating in not only the most dangerous stunt of his own professional life but one that's still thoroughly anxiety-inducing even by modern standards.

1928's silent comedy Steamboat Bill, Jr. features an unforgettable climactic stunt where Keaton's titular protagonist stands still as the front of a house appears to fall on top of him. But thanks to the open attic window, the house frame safely passes through him.

Keaton's mark to execute the stunt correctly was nothing more than a nail, and had he not hit this mark precisely, he would've been instantly killed by the extraordinarily heavy house prop.

Between the inherent danger of the stunt and Keaton's deteriorating mental state at the time - due to both his failing marriage and concerns about his career's future - the film's crew tried to talk him out of doing it, and the cameraman even refused to watch Keaton pull it off.

It remains one of the most jaw-dropping stunts ever committed to film, but to be honest, can you even imagine anyone else but Keaton volunteering to do this?