The Angelina Jolie movie won the honor on Friday from Fireman's Fund, the company that insures four of every five movies to come out of Hollywood.
The insurer said Ms. Jolie's decision to do her own stunts earned her movie the dubious honor, since an injury to a star can force a halt in production and cost $250,000 a day or more.
In the film from Sony Pictures, a unit of Japan's Sony Corp., Ms. Jolie plays a CIA agent who goes on the run after she's accused of being a Russian spy. In her effort to evade capture, her character hurls explosives, jumps off a bridge and rides a motorcycle through stalled freeway traffic."It's kind of cool for somebody to say they're doing their own stunts, but it is risky," said Lauren Bailey, vice president of entertainment at Fireman's Fund.
Before it will insure a production, the insurer will discuss stunts and other potentially risky aspects of the filming with the film-makers, and could request that the producers change their plans to reduce the odds of an accident. A Fireman's Fund representative is often on the set on the days when the riskiest stunts are scheduled to be filmed.
"When the artist is going to be involved in their own stunts, it's considered risky for us as the insurance carrier," said Wendy Diaz, the director of entertainment underwriting at Fireman's Fund. "But it's also somewhat risky for the production company, because they've put the production in a little bit of jeopardy if somebody gets hurt."
Fireman's Fund, a unit of Munich-based Allianz SE, requires actors to get a physical exam before they underwrite a production, and the information from the doctor can affect the price of coverage. And Ms. Bailey admitted that tabloid coverage of celebrities' personal activities does sometimes catch the insurer's eye.
"You have to be able to ferret out if it's true or not," she said. "But we do read them."
Past winners of the Fireman's Fund award include "Into the Wild," the Sean Penn-directed production that filmed in rugged locations and included several scenes with bears, and "The Wrestler," which depicted Mickey Rourke intentionally hurting himself with barbed wire.
Mr. Rourke, at least, earned an Oscar nomination for his suffering. Ms. Jolie, a past Oscar winner, didn't get another nomination for her role in "Salt."
