Motorcycle stuntwoman Sarah Lezito puts Hollywood career on hold after injury

French motorcycle icon Sarah Lezito pauses film stunts to focus on social media after head injury.

Stunt rider Sarah Lezito, a champion in the niche sport of stunt riding where competitors perform as many tricks as possible within a set time, poses with her Kawasaki motorbike during a Paris Match photoshoot in Epernay on May 23, 2024. Photo by Eric Hadj/Getty Images

By Adila Ghina and Hayu Andini

When motorcycle stuntwoman Sarah Lezito first attempted a wheelie in her family's field at just 13, she never imagined she would one day perform high-octane stunts for Hollywood blockbusters. Raised in the serene Champagne vineyards of northeast France, Lezito’s journey from a quiet winemaking village to the film sets of Avengers 2 and Black Widow is a testament to fearless passion and self-made success.

Now 32 years old, Lezito is recognized as one of the most prominent female motorcycle stunt riders in the world. She has worked as a stunt double for some of the most iconic female characters in cinema and amassed over 30 million followers across social media platforms. But after a serious fall during the filming of The Killer in 2023, Lezito has made the difficult decision to step away from Hollywood and refocus her career on independent content creation.

Training among the vines

AFP recently met up with Sarah Lezito at her personal training ground nestled among the picturesque vineyards near Épernay, France. Surrounded by rows of grapevines, her training track is an unexpected but fitting backdrop for someone whose journey began on agricultural quads in rural fields.

Mounted on her signature red chrome Kawasaki, Lezito moves with fluidity and control, executing breathtaking stunts with precision. From standing upright on her moving 440-pound motorcycle to flipping her body across the handlebars mid-motion, her mastery of the machine is immediate and awe-inspiring.

“This place is like my temple,” she said, resting after a rapid-fire session of wheelies, stoppies, and balance tricks. “People think I’m working, but for me, it’s a way to release pressure.”

A humble plastic beaded bracelet, her good-luck charm, is tightly wrapped around her throttle—a subtle reminder of her grassroots beginnings.

The viral video that launched a career

Although no one in her family was involved in motorsports, Lezito was drawn to stunt riding after discovering online videos. With limited resources, she began practicing on her father’s agricultural quad, not designed for performance. Undeterred, she soon graduated to motorcycles and began posting her own stunts to YouTube.

Everything changed in March 2013 when she released a video titled One out of Billion Girls, a compilation of her most daring tricks. The video went viral and caught the attention of Hollywood stunt coordinators.

“That video changed my life,” she recalled. Within months, she was flying to South Korea to stand in for Scarlett Johansson in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

From doubling Scarlett to meeting Zoe Kravitz

Since then, Sarah Lezito has built an impressive filmography. In addition to doubling Johansson again in Black Widow, she also worked on Inferno, The Batman (starring Zoe Kravitz), and Millennium. She proudly shared that she’s had the chance to meet all the actresses she has doubled for on screen.

“I quickly adapted to the demands of movie stunt work,” she said, noting the distinct challenges between cinematic productions and her homegrown content.

Yet, not all experiences on set have been smooth.

On-set injuries and a career reevaluation

Lezito admitted to a few hair-raising moments in her career. One particularly dangerous stunt occurred on the set of Bad Girl, a film that was ultimately never released. “I had to ride through flames without a helmet,” she said. “It looked easy on paper, but it was terrifying in reality.”

In the summer of 2023, while shooting David Fincher’s The Killer in Paris with Michael Fassbender, Lezito experienced a severe accident. “I flew off the motorcycle,” she recounted. “I wasn’t going very fast, but I hit the ground headfirst, and my helmet cracked.”

The impact sent her to the emergency room with a head injury, prompting a serious reassessment of her career. “It made me think. I decided it was time to take a break.”

30 million fans and counting

Since then, the motorcycle stuntwoman Sarah Lezito has pivoted her energy toward growing her already massive social media presence. Across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, she shares videos of her incredible stunts with over 30 million followers—9.5 million on Instagram alone, surpassing even MotoGP legend Marc Márquez.

Lezito’s garage has been transformed into a digital studio, its walls lined with YouTube plaques, fan art, and tokens of appreciation from followers around the world. With around 10 motorcycles in her collection, she manages all repairs herself, embracing the mechanical side of her craft with as much enthusiasm as her riding.

Living on her own terms

French world champion stuntwoman Sarah Lezito performs a wheelstand while standing on her Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R motorbike at her private track near Epernay, eastern France, on May 22, 2025. Photo by Thibaud Moritz/AFP

Now independent of the rigid schedules and risks of movie sets, Lezito is fully immersed in her own creative process. “As long as I enjoy sitting on the motorcycle, I’ll keep doing this,” she said.

Despite stepping away from Hollywood, her brand continues to grow. Her latest social campaigns often trend among motorsport enthusiasts, empowering a new generation of women to embrace extreme sports and challenge stereotypes in a traditionally male-dominated field.

Breaking barriers in a male-dominated world

As one of the few female motorcycle stunt riders working at the highest level, Lezito’s career has broken countless barriers. Whether performing stunts in a Marvel blockbuster or filming a solo ride through the Champagne countryside, she brings visibility and representation to a space that has long lacked it.

Her content also serves an educational purpose. Through tutorials and behind-the-scenes breakdowns, she demystifies motorcycle stunting and emphasizes safety, practice, and persistence.

What lies ahead

For motorcycle stuntwoman Sarah Lezito, the future remains open. Though she’s stepped away from film work for now, she hasn’t ruled out returning if the right opportunity arises under safer conditions. In the meantime, she continues inspiring millions by simply doing what she loves—pushing the limits of what a motorcycle and a woman can do.

“I’ve been lucky to make a career out of something that began as a hobby,” she said. “And if I can show other girls they can do it too, that’s the real reward.”