Alan Ritchson Doing His Own War Machine River Stunts Impressed The Heck Outta Me, So I Was Shocked He Still Needed Two Doubles

Alan Ritchson has become one of those actors who seems to fully embrace the physical demands of every new action movie role. Between his work on Reacher and his growing slate of projects, the actor has built a reputation for jumping into the toughest parts of a scene whenever possible. That approach was definitely on display while filming Netflix’s War Machine, where Ritchson tackled some pretty intense water-based stunts. What surprised me most, though, is that even after seeing the lengths he went to for some of the film’s river and underwater sequences, the production still needed not one but two stunt doubles for certain shots.

Ritchson recently shared a behind-the-scenes clip on his personal Instagram that shows just how much effort he put into those moments. The video, which you can check out below, features the actor plunging into a raging river while filming the sequence, alongside commentary from one of the stunt performers. The stunt double even jokes about how talented he is and how the actor doing so much of his own stunt work could end up putting him out of a job:

In the post, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles veteran also took a moment to shout out his stunt team, specifically thanking his two doubles, Ryan Tarran and Luke Davis. In the caption, Ritchson even pointed out that the “biggest bruise” he’d ever seen belonged to Tarran, a reminder that while the actor does a lot of the physical work himself, the stunt performers are still the ones taking some of the hardest hits.

Even with two doubles involved in the production, the behind-the-scenes footage makes it clear that Alan Ritchson handled a significant portion of the action himself. In the clip, he explains why he tries to perform as many stunts as possible himself, saying it ultimately comes down to giving audiences the most immersive experience he can. He shared:

One of the stunt performers in the video even jokes that when you have “a talented action hero like Alan,” it can make life a little stressful for the stunt team trying to stay employed. Of course, the comment is clearly made in good fun, but it does highlight just how much of the physical work Ritchson was willing to take on himself.

And the river sequence wasn’t the only demanding moment he tackled. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire performer also committed to some challenging underwater scenes for the film. In another behind-the-scenes clip shared by Netflix, the Reacher star can be seen walking along the bottom of a swimming pool toward the camera while holding dumbbells, staying submerged for nearly two minutes as part of the stunt preparation.

Even though Ritchson clearly handled a huge portion of the physical work, having two stunt doubles allowed the production to capture certain angles and repeat especially difficult movements without pushing the actor too far. It’s a pretty common approach in action filmmaking, especially when scenes involve water or other unpredictable elements.

Between the breath-holding, underwater walking, and the physical toll of filming in rough river conditions, Alan Ritchson clearly put in the effort to make the sequence feel as authentic as possible. And, based on the impressive viewership numbers War Machine has pulled in, audiences seem to be responding. But you don’t have to take my word for it—you can check out the action-packed 2026 movie schedule entry with your Netflix subscription and see how the stunt-heavy scenes turned out for yourself.