Female Celebrities Who Train BJJ: Famous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Practitioners

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become part of the training routines of actresses, singers, models, and other public figures. For some celebrities, BJJ is part of preparing for physically demanding movie roles. Others have developed a longer-term relationship with the martial art.

This guide covers female celebrities with publicly documented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experience, including Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Demi Lovato, Millie Bobby Brown, and Kate Upton. Their experiences are not all the same, so this article distinguishes between BJJ training for a film role, longer-term practice, and publicly documented belt promotions.

Female celebrities with publicly documented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experience include Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Demi Lovato, Millie Bobby Brown, and Kate Upton. Their experience varies considerably: some learned BJJ for action-film preparation, while others have trained more extensively and received documented belt promotions.

Because celebrity training schedules are often private, past BJJ experience should not automatically be interpreted as proof that someone is currently training or still holds the same belt rank. Here's the list of female celebrities who train BJJ:

• Scarlett Johansson's connection with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is closely associated with her preparation for the role of Natasha Romanoff, better known as Black Widow. Her physical preparation for the Marvel films included martial-arts training, with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu among the disciplines she studied.
• In 2016, BJJ sources reported that Johansson was training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor Rigan Machado at his Beverly Hills academy. Contemporary reports also connected her training with the physical demands of playing Black Widow.
• Johansson's documented training is a good example of how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be incorporated into preparation for an action role. However, there is no reliable public evidence establishing a current BJJ belt rank or an uninterrupted training schedule through 2026.

• Australian actress Margot Robbie trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu while preparing to play Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. Her preparation involved several forms of physical training, including gymnastics, boxing, and jiu-jitsu.
• Reports from the period describe Robbie training jiu-jitsu several times a week during her preparation for the role. Her BJJ training was part of a broader effort to develop the movement, strength, and physical skills needed for Harley Quinn's action sequences.
• Robbie's training should be described as documented BJJ experience rather than used to assign her a current belt rank. There is not enough reliable current information to state what belt she holds today.

• Demi Lovato has one of the more extensively documented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journeys among the celebrities featured in this article. The singer, songwriter, and actress has trained BJJ for several years and has publicly shared parts of her progression in the sport.
• Her coach, Chris Light, explained in 2023 that he began training with Lovato in 2018, when she was already a blue belt. Light said they trained at Unbreakable Performance alongside other high-level martial artists.
• Lovato was promoted to purple belt in February 2023. Her promotion received considerable attention within the BJJ community, and Light subsequently discussed her training history and experience.
• Because her most clearly documented promotion is from 2023, it is more accurate to describe Lovato as a publicly documented purple-belt BJJ practitioner than to claim that purple belt is necessarily her current rank in 2026.

• Millie Bobby Brown became internationally known for playing Eleven in Netflix's Stranger Things and later starred as Enola Holmes in Netflix's Enola Holmes films. Her connection with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is particularly relevant because her combat and stunt training has continued to be part of her preparation for physically demanding roles.
• Earlier reports documented Brown training BJJ and described her as a white belt with two stripes. That information provides evidence of her earlier experience, but it should not be treated as her current belt rank.
• More recently, Brown discussed learning jiu-jitsu as part of the stunt preparation for Enola Holmes 3. NBC reported in July 2026 that Brown used her jiu-jitsu skills during the film and described the stunt training as part of the physical demands of the third movie. Enola Holmes 3 began streaming on Netflix on July 1, 2026.
• This makes Brown a particularly useful example of how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be incorporated into an actor's preparation for action and stunt sequences. However, her current BJJ belt rank has not been reliably established in recent public reporting.

• Kate Upton is an American model and actress who has publicly documented her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training. Her BJJ journey attracted attention in 2019 when she shared her progress after earning the first stripe on her white belt.
• Upton later demonstrated some of her jiu-jitsu skills on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she showed host Jimmy Fallon a submission technique. Contemporary coverage also reported that her coach described her as a hard worker in the room.
• The publicly documented record establishes Upton's BJJ training and early white-belt progression, but there is not enough recent reliable information to state her current belt rank or training schedule.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be useful for actors preparing for roles that involve grappling, close-quarters combat, or stunt work. Training can help performers become familiar with positions, transitions, takedowns, escapes, and controlled physical movement.

For some productions, BJJ is only one part of a much broader training program that can include boxing, wrestling, judo, gymnastics, strength training, and stunt work. Scarlett Johansson's preparation for Black Widow, Margot Robbie's preparation for Harley Quinn, and Millie Bobby Brown's recent training for Enola Holmes 3 illustrate how grappling can become part of an actor's physical preparation.

Learning BJJ for a film role is different from developing a long-term martial-arts practice. An actor may train intensively for a production without pursuing competition or progressing through the traditional belt system.

The celebrities featured here show that there is no single reason public figures train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Some learn grappling to prepare for demanding action roles, while others develop a longer-term relationship with the martial art.

Their experiences also show why celebrity BJJ claims need context. Training for a movie does not necessarily mean someone is a long-term practitioner, and an older belt promotion does not automatically establish a person's current rank.

For readers interested in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the more useful takeaway is not simply that celebrities train the sport, but how different types of training—from film preparation to long-term practice—can introduce people to the techniques and movement of BJJ.