Stars Who Almost Died While Performing Their Own Stunts

Making action movies often demands a lot physically from actors, especially when trying to get the perfect scene. Although safety is usually a top priority, accidents can still happen, sometimes putting the leading actors in serious danger. These incidents have been caused by things like equipment malfunctions or unexpected problems during stunts. Here’s a look at some actors who came very close to being seriously injured or killed while filming risky scenes.

Jackie Chan

During the filming of ‘Armour of God’, a famous martial artist suffered a career-threatening injury. He jumped from a castle wall, intending to land on a tree branch, but the branch broke during impact. The resulting fall fractured his skull, and a piece of bone entered his brain. Emergency brain surgery saved his life, but he now has a permanent plastic implant in his skull.

Tom Cruise

While filming ‘The Last Samurai,’ a scary incident occurred with a prop during a sword fight. A mechanical horse broke down, causing a real sword to swing dangerously close to Tom Cruise’s neck. Luckily, his fellow actor was able to halt the blade just in time, preventing a potentially fatal injury. Despite this near-miss early in his career, Cruise continues to do his own incredibly risky stunts.

Jason Statham

While filming ‘The Expendables 3’ in Bulgaria, Jason Statham narrowly avoided drowning after the truck he was driving lost its brakes and crashed off a cliff into the Black Sea. He had to escape from the sinking vehicle while still secured by his safety harness underwater. Fortunately, his background as an Olympic diver probably helped him remain calm and swim to safety.

Isla Fisher

While filming a magic trick for ‘Now You See Me’, the actress almost drowned in front of a crowd of extras. A safety chain malfunctioned during a water tank escape, trapping her underwater. At first, everyone assumed her frantic movements were part of the act, as she’s a very convincing performer. Luckily, a stunt coordinator quickly realized something was wrong and activated the emergency release, saving her.

Michael J. Fox

Okay, so I’m a huge ‘Back to the Future’ fan, and I recently heard this crazy story about filming the third movie. There’s a scene where Marty McFly is supposed to be hanged, and Michael J. Fox was really committed to making it look believable. He actually asked them to take away the box he was standing on so he’d really feel the drop! Unfortunately, he didn’t quite time it right, and for a few seconds, he genuinely couldn’t breathe. The director only realized something was wrong when Michael didn’t react to his direction – he’d actually passed out! It’s a pretty intense story, and it really shows how dedicated he was to the role.

Brendan Fraser

I was shocked to learn about what happened to Brendan Fraser on the set of ‘The Mummy’! Apparently, during a scene meant to simulate a hanging, the rope actually tightened too much around his neck. It completely cut off his circulation, and he actually passed out! Thankfully, medical staff were right there and were able to revive him. He later said he woke up with a terrible headache and, believe it or not, gravel in his ear! It’s just awful to think about what he went through.

Charlize Theron

While filming the sci-fi action movie ‘Aeon Flux’, Theron seriously injured her spine after a failed backflip. She landed badly on her neck, which almost caused paralysis. Filming was paused for several weeks while she had surgery and recovered. Since then, she’s used stunt doubles more often for difficult acrobatic scenes to avoid further injury to her spine.

George Clooney

While filming the thriller ‘Syriana’, George Clooney suffered a serious spinal injury during a stunt gone wrong. He hit his head, which caused a tear in the membrane around his spinal cord, leading to a leak of spinal fluid. The resulting pain was excruciating, and he even considered ending his life before receiving successful surgery. Years later, he still occasionally experiences pain from the injury.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone wanted the fight scenes in ‘Rocky IV’ to feel incredibly realistic, so he and Dolph Lundgren actually hit each other. One particularly strong punch to the chest caused a significant impact – Stallone’s heart slammed into his chest and became swollen. He was rushed to the hospital and spent more than a week in intensive care. Doctors said the damage was similar to what they usually see in victims of serious car accidents.

Dylan O’Brien

During the filming of ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’, a young actor was seriously injured in a car stunt. He was hit by a vehicle after being removed from another during a fast-paced chase scene. The accident caused a concussion and broken facial bones, requiring extensive surgery and a complete halt to production until he recovered.

Uma Thurman

Uma Thurman was hurt while filming ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 2’ when she was urged to drive a car that wasn’t working properly. The car veered off the road and crashed into a palm tree with significant force. She sustained a concussion and lasting injuries to her knees and neck. Video of the accident later surfaced, showing her slumped and unresponsive behind the wheel.

Viggo Mortensen

Let me tell you, watching ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ you’d never guess Viggo Mortensen almost didn’t make it through filming. Apparently, during a river scene, he was swept off his feet by a strong current while wearing heavy armor. It actually pulled him under! He was stuck down there for what felt like an eternity, struggling to surface. Thankfully, he managed to kick his way back up, but it was a close call. They did have safety divers on set, but the current was just too swift for them to reach him in time. It’s a genuinely scary story that shows just how dedicated – and how brave – he was to the role.

Ed Harris

While filming the movie ‘The Abyss,’ Harris had a frightening experience. During a deep-water scene, he ran out of air and his safety diver wasn’t immediately reachable. A crew member tried to help, but mistakenly gave him a regulator that was installed incorrectly, causing him to breathe in water. The intense physical and emotional stress of the situation reportedly led to him physically confronting the director.

Johnny Depp

While filming a chase scene for ‘The Lone Ranger’, Johnny Depp fell from his horse when the saddle slipped. He landed in the path of the galloping animal and was trampled and dragged a short distance before the horse cleared him. Although a hoof hit his chest, he fortunately only suffered minor bruises.

Gerard Butler

While filming the surfing movie ‘Chasing Mavericks’, Butler was caught in a huge wave that held him underwater for almost a minute. The wave then carried him through a hazardous reef, and he had to be rescued by a safety team on a jet ski and taken to the hospital. He later said the frightening experience felt like a close call with death and had a lasting impact on him.

Jennifer Lawrence

During filming of ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1’, the actress working on a tunnel scene almost suffocated. A fog machine broke down, filling the small space with thick smoke and cutting off the air supply. The crew couldn’t see her until rescuers pulled her out, where she was coughing and struggling to breathe. Filming was stopped for several days while the ventilation was checked and made safe.

Margaret Hamilton

During the filming of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, the actress who played the Wicked Witch was badly burned when a special effects stunt went wrong. A trap door meant to lower her quickly didn’t work properly, and she was caught in the flames. She suffered severe burns to her hands and face and needed several weeks to recover, returning to filming wearing protective gloves.

Jim Caviezel

While filming the Sermon on the Mount for ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ Jim Caviezel was hit by lightning. People who saw it said fire came from his head and smoke rose from his ears. The demanding filming conditions also caused him to develop hypothermia and pneumonia. Later, he needed open-heart surgery, likely due to the extreme physical strain of playing the role.

Aaron Paul

I was absolutely floored hearing about what happened on the ‘Breaking Bad’ set. Apparently, a huge boulder just broke off from a cliff and landed right where Paul had been standing moments before! He’d actually asked the director if he could shift position, and thank goodness he did. That rock absolutely obliterated his chair – completely destroyed it. Everyone on set was totally shaken up, realizing how incredibly close he’d come to being seriously hurt, or worse. It’s a scary reminder of the risks involved in filmmaking.

Matthew Fox

During filming of the final season of ‘Lost’, actor Fox was accidentally stabbed with a real knife instead of a prop during a fight scene. A crew member mistakenly swapped the fake, retractable knife for a genuine blade. Although his co-star inflicted the wound, Fox was wearing a protective vest that prevented serious injury. He ended up with significant bruising and a frightening realization of how close the incident came to being deadly.

Diane Kruger

During the filming of ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ Quentin Tarantino wanted a truly realistic reaction from actress Diane Kruger for a particular scene. He tightly choked her during the take, unintentionally cutting off her air supply for an extended period. Kruger lost consciousness and fell to the floor before Tarantino stopped. The scene ultimately used in the film captures her authentic struggle to breathe.

Kate Winslet

During the filming of ‘Titanic’, Kate Winslet battled a serious case of pneumonia and came close to drowning. While underwater in a freezing tank, her heavy coat got caught on something, and she had to fight to free herself while holding her breath. The dangerous conditions and her illness almost caused her to leave the movie.

Ruby Rose

While filming the TV show ‘Batwoman’, Rose was seriously injured during a stunt, herniating two discs in her neck. These injuries were dangerously close to damaging her spinal cord, requiring immediate surgery to avoid permanent paralysis. She shared her experience, including the surgery and recovery process, on social media to raise awareness about the dangers involved in stunt work.

Chevy Chase

While filming a scene for ‘Modern Problems’, Chase was seriously injured by an electric shock. He was wearing a suit with bright lights when a short circuit sent electricity through his body, causing him to pass out. The experience was traumatic, leaving him with lasting depression and fundamentally changing how he approached physical comedy and safety on film sets.

Martin Lawrence

While filming ‘Big Momma’s House’, Martin Lawrence suffered from heat exhaustion while wearing a thick latex costume. The inside of the suit became dangerously hot, causing him to fall into a coma that lasted three days. Doctors used a breathing machine to help him, and his body temperature was carefully monitored until he recovered. Thankfully, he made a full recovery, though the incident caused significant delays in filming.

Jaimie Alexander

While filming ‘Thor: The Dark World’, the actress seriously injured her back. She slipped and fell from a high metal staircase during a rainy scene, fracturing eleven vertebrae and suffering a slipped disc. The fall briefly paralyzed the left side of her body, and she needed months of intensive physical therapy. She took a month off from filming to recover before completing her work on the movie.

Harrison Ford

During filming of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, Harrison Ford suffered a broken leg when a hydraulic door on the Millennium Falcon set malfunctioned and pinned him to the floor. The door closed with such force it felt like being hit by a small car. Production was paused for several weeks while Ford recovered from surgery.

Justin Theroux

While filming an underwater scene for HBO’s ‘The Leftovers’, Justin Theroux had a frightening near-drowning experience. His diving equipment failed, cutting off communication with the safety team. Heavily weighted by his costume, he fought to reach the surface. The incident left him panicked and shaken for the rest of the filming process.

Michelle Yeoh

I was so shocked to hear about what happened to Michelle Yeoh on the set of ‘Supercop’! Apparently, she nearly had a terrible accident trying to jump onto a moving train on a motorcycle. She actually went right over the top and ended up sliding off the train and into traffic! I heard Jackie Chan even tried to grab her, but he just missed. Luckily, she only suffered some minor injuries, and incredibly, she wanted to try the stunt again – and she nailed it the second time! She’s a true pro.

Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds was determined to do his own canoe stunt over a waterfall in the movie ‘Deliverance,’ even though people cautioned him against it. During the attempt, he struck a rock, fracturing his tailbone. The strong current then ripped off his clothes and pulled him into a whirlpool. He later confessed that the final shot didn’t even look good, despite the severe pain he endured.

Meryl Streep

While filming ‘The River Wild’, Meryl Streep had a frightening experience when she nearly drowned during a whitewater rafting scene. She was tossed from the boat into the icy water and carried away by the strong current. Although the director wanted her to redo the take, she was too exhausted and refused. Streep later revealed she genuinely feared for her life.

Eli Wallach

Eli Wallach had a remarkably dangerous time filming ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’, facing death three times. In one incident, a train nearly decapitated him, breaking the chain holding him near a prop body. He accidentally drank acid from a mislabeled bottle during another scene. And in a third, he was dragged along by a runaway horse while his hands were bound.

Bob Denver

While filming ‘Gilligan’s Island,’ Denver was almost attacked by a lion. The table he was standing on broke, causing the lion to pounce. Luckily, the animal trainer was able to quickly grab the lion before it reached Denver. After that close call, Denver didn’t want to work with the lion for the rest of the show.

Kevin Costner

During the filming of ‘Waterworld’, Kevin Costner was caught in a sudden and violent storm while on the deck of his sailboat. The film crew had to quickly leave, and he was left struggling against the wind and waves for almost thirty minutes. The boat nearly flipped over with him still on board.

Buster Keaton

For the film ‘Steamboat Bill, Jr.’, Buster Keaton did one of the most daring stunts ever filmed. A massive, two-ton building front collapsed around him, and he narrowly avoided being crushed by standing perfectly still within a small opening. Even a tiny shift in position would have been fatal.

Ellen Burstyn

Ellen Burstyn sustained a lasting spinal injury during the filming of ‘The Exorcist’. While filming a scene where her character was thrown across the room, a stunt coordinator accidentally pulled on her harness too forcefully. Her genuine cry of pain was so convincing that the director chose to include it in the final movie. She has experienced back problems ever since that incident on set.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

While filming the movie ‘Premium Rush’, Joseph Gordon-Levitt had a bicycle accident and collided with a taxi. He was thrown through the back window, resulting in a deep cut to his arm that needed 31 stitches. Despite being injured, he quickly returned to the set to finish filming.

Jeremy Renner

During filming of ‘Tag,’ Jeremy Renner fell about twenty feet after the equipment supporting a stunt failed. He broke both elbows in the fall. Despite the immediate pain, he tried to complete the scene. Afterward, he wore special green casts on his arms that could be removed digitally in post-production.

Tom Hanks

While filming ‘Cast Away’ in Fiji, Tom Hanks suffered a leg injury that he initially dismissed. The wound became infected with a staph infection, causing significant swelling. Doctors warned he was nearing a life-threatening case of blood poisoning, and filming was paused for three weeks while he received antibiotics through an IV.

Malcolm McDowell

During the filming of ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ Malcolm McDowell experienced temporary blindness and a corneal scratch due to the metal clamps used to force his eyes open for the Ludovico treatment scene. He also suffered a cracked rib and came close to drowning while filming a different torture scene. The intense physical strain he went through on set has become well-known in film history.

Gunnar Hansen

While filming ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’, Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface, was actually using a working chainsaw. During a chase scene, he slipped in the mud and the chainsaw flew from his grasp, narrowly missing his head as he fell. The film didn’t have enough money for fake props or professional stunt performers, making the situation especially dangerous.

Harold Lloyd

During a promotional event, a prop bomb exploded, costing Lloyd his thumb and forefinger. Despite this injury, he famously performed a daring climb up a skyscraper for the film ‘Safety Last!,’ concealing his missing digits with a prosthetic glove. The incredible scene of him hanging from a clock face with just one fully working hand is still considered one of the most memorable and risky stunts in silent movie history.

Tippi Hedren

While filming ‘Roar’, Tippi Hedren was bitten on the neck by a lion. The movie involved many big cats that hadn’t been properly trained, leading to frequent attacks on the people working on the film. Hedren broke her leg and received serious scalp wounds that needed surgery. The production is infamous for being the most hazardous movie shoot ever.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

While filming a scene for the movie ‘The 6th Day’, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a frightening near-drowning experience. He was underwater when the platform above him accidentally trapped him, leaving him unable to surface. He quickly ran out of air and a stunt diver had to rescue him. Schwarzenegger later said it was one of the few times he truly panicked while working on a film.

Please share your thoughts on these terrifying close calls in the comments.

2026-01-30 23:50