These bold films confront viewers and dare to offend
George Maharis (pictured) starred in this film. Stuntman Jack Tyree died while performing a stunt in Los Angeles.
See also: Incredible mistakes in film and TV: how many did you spot?
Though it wasn't exactly while filming, Robert De Niro suffered a quadriceps muscle injury while at his on-location home in Oklahoma during the filming of Martin Scorsese’s 'Killers of the Flower Moon.'
The 'Fast and Furious' films are filled with shocking stunts. In 2019, Vin Diesel's stunt double suffered a serious head injury while filming in Hertfordshire.
British actress Letitia Wright was reportedly sent to hospital to treat injuries sustained on a stunt rig (The thing that makes actors look like they're flying through the air in movies!) during the filming of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.' Luckily, her injuries weren't serious. Wright played the role of Shuri in the Marvel franchise.
Jason Momoa is one of Hollywood's most beloved strongmen, but even he isn't impervious to on-set injuries. His role as Aquaman has him performing all sorts of daring stunts, which are usually his forte, but things got rough while filming 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.' Momoa discussed the dangers of being an "aging superhero" with Ellen DeGeneres: "I messed up my eyes. I just got something in it that kinda cut it up, and then I've gotta get surgery, I have a hernia, I've got ribs out. I'm just getting beat up, but it's gonna be a great movie, you're gonna love it." Hopefully it's worth the pain!
Will Ferrell made a lucky escape on the set of 'Anchorman 2' back in 2013, according to director Adam McKay. He recalled the incident in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter while discussing safety measures in light of the 'Rust' shooting. "It was a scene where Ron Burgundy was going to hang himself. It was a silly joke. For a half a second, the rig didn't operate properly and there was actual tension on the rope, but then it gave way and Will was OK. Thank God no one was hurt."
Jessica Chastain stared as a CIA agent in the action-thriller 'The 355' and she performed a number of her own stunts on set. She revealed that she was rushed to hospital after a nasty accident that resulted in a head injury. While filming a fight scene on a marble floor, she hit her head and heard an audible "crack." Chastain says that her stunt double rushed up to her and said "I'm sorry, but I have to put it back in." This caused her to panic, "Put what back in? Are my brains outside of my face? What is happening?" Reflecting on the moment, she said, "I guess it was just a bruise she was pushing back in my head." Chastain insisted on doing a couple more takes to get the perfect shot before heading to hospital to get checked out. She joked that the injury "might be why I am the way I am today."
During an appearance on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show,' Neve Campbell recalled being attacked by a bear on an unnamed movie set in Canada when she was 17. “I was playing this role where she’s ‘one with the animals’ and there was a scene where I’m supposed to be getting chased by a bear. They brought this bear on set and they first gave me this big bottle of Coke to feed it. So now, this is a bear on a sugar rush. And then, they said—and I’m 17, so I’m really dumb—they said, ‘Dip your hand in honey and just run. And when you get to the tree over there, turn around and stick your hand out and feed the bear.’ And I, of course, wanting to please everyone was like, ‘Ok!’” Though she followed the instructions exactly, the bear did not slow down and did not go for her honey-covered hand. "He grabs me by the leg and he pulls me through the forest. My mother happens to be visiting set, so she’s screaming. The whole crew is frozen because no one can believe what’s happening. All I can think to say is, ‘He’s biting me,’ like it’s not obvious.” Fortunately, the film's bear wrangler started throwing rocks at the animal until it started charging at him, giving Campbell the opportunity to escape. She was lucky to get away without any major injuries.
'The Walking Dead' star Norman Reedus, known for playing Daryl, one of the show's longest-surviving characters, was involved in an accident on-set that sent him to the emergency room. Although the details of the incident weren't revealed, Reedus was diagnosed with a concussion and took some time off filming to recover. Acting in an action-packed zombie apocalypse drama is no doubt a dangerous way to spend your time, and this isn't the first time Reedus has been injured. He has spoken of at least two other occasions where he received a nasty cut on camera. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he once said, “Why am I always getting hurt? I get hurt all the time. I feel like I should have like football pads on at all times, even when I’m just walking around.”
Former stuntman and daredevil Jonathan Goodwin suffered permanent damage on the set of 'America's Got Talent: Extreme' back in October 2021. The daredevil performer was trying out an extreme stunt shortly before the premiere, but it all went devastatingly wrong. Goodwin was suspended 70 feet (21 meters) in the air, strapped into a straitjacket. The goal was to release himself from the jacket and drop onto an air mattress below before two cars hanging on either side of him crashed together. The timing was off and Goodwin was instead hit by the cars which burst into flame. When he fell to the ground, he missed the air mattress and hit his head.
His fiancée, Amanda Abbington, shared the extent of his injuries on a podcast. She revealed that he had "lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs." She continued the long list, "Third-degree burns, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord and nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again." Goodwin was paralyzed in the accident and will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Despite the traumatic, life-changing event, he is positive about the future. "A lot has changed in the last 6 months, but love is a constant and I'm very very loved. Looking forward to my next chapters and being a roll model," he quipped on Instagram.
Some cast and crew members of the Netflix series 'The Chosen One' were riding in a production van when it crashed and flipped in an accident on June 16, 2022, near Mulegé, Mexico on the Baja California Sur peninsula. Actors Raymundo Garduño Cruz and Juan Francisco González Aguilar (known professionally as Paco Mufote), died in the accident, which also resulted in six other injuries among the cast and crew, Deadline, reports.
Kristin Chenoweth suffered a serious on-set accident while filming the CBS drama 'The Good Wife' in 2012, which she talks about in her book 'I'm No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts.' During an appearance on 'Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen,' the host asked her about the fallout of that accident, and Chenoweth admitted she regrets not taking legal action against the television network at the time.
“I didn’t do it out of fear and anxiety, so don’t ever let fear rule your life,” Chenoweth said. “I have long-standing injuries from that, so I wish I had listened to my dad, who said, ‘You’re going to want to do this.’ And we’re not the suing family, but when you’re practically killed.”
The actress sustained a seven-inch skull fracture, as well as injuries to her ribs and teeth, after a piece of lighting equipment hit her in the face. “My hair extensions saved my [life]” Chenoweth said. “It made the hairline fracture go together. My doctor said, ‘What are these metal things?’ I said, ‘They’re hair extensions.’ And he said, ‘They’ve saved your life.’”
This Bond film features a famous chase scene on a bobsleigh run. A stuntman named Paolo Rigon was killed after striking a tree in a bobsleigh.
Though 'P.S. I Love You' doesn't seem like it would be a dangerous movie to film, Gerard Butler revealed that he “almost killed” Hilary Swank while filming in 2007. During his appearance on 'The Drew Barrymore Show' on January 24 2023, the actor recalled a scene in which he had to dance "like an idiot in boxer shorts and a pair of suspenders, and though his character was supposed to get hit in the face with a suspender clip, the metal fastener “slashed” Swank’s head instead.
He recalled the terrible moment: “I'm crawling towards the bed, it gets stuck, it releases and flies over my head, hits her in the head, slashes her head." Butler continued, “She has to get taken to the hospital. Imagine the studio—in three seconds, everybody's gone. And I'm just sitting there in my Irish boxer shorts and my boots, pair of socks, and I just started crying." He said it was one of those instances where he felt imposter syndrome the strongest, but fortunately Swank was okay and the film was a big success.
Brendan Fraser revealed that he “nearly” died while filming one particular scene in 1999's 'The Mummy.' Speaking on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show,' the actor revealed that in a hanging sequence the rope tightened around his neck too much and he was choked out. “I was standing on my toes like this, with the rope [around my neck], and you only got so far to go,” Fraser explained. “And [director] Stephen [Sommers] ran over, and he said, ‘Hey, it doesn’t really look like you’re, you know, choking—can you sell it?’ And I was like, ‘All right, fine.’ So I thought, ‘One more take, man.'”
For the last take, Fraser stood on his toes while a crew member pulled the rope a little higher. "I was stuck on my toes—I had nowhere to go but down,” Fraser recalled. “And so he was pulling up, and I was going down, and the next thing I knew, my elbow was in my ear, the world was sideways, there was gravel in my teeth, and everyone was really quiet." When the stunt coordinator woke him, he informed him, "Congratulations, you’re in the club—the same thing happened to Mel Gibson on Braveheart.” 'The Whale' star joked that he could only respond, “Thanks, I think? I wanna go home!”
A production horse died of cardiac arrest during rehearsals for the 'Lord of the Rings' prequel series 'The Rings of Power.' “We are deeply saddened to confirm that a production horse died,” an Amazon Studios spokesperson announced. “The incident took place in the morning whilst the horse was being exercised before rehearsals. The trainer was not in costume and filming had yet to commence. Both a veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at the time. The independent necropsy has confirmed that the horse died of cardiac failure.”
Animal rights organization PETA had a thing or two to say about the horse, which was supplied by respected outfitter The Devil’s Horsemen and which was said to have shown no prior health problems before it died. “PETA is calling on the show’s creators—and all other producers—to take on a new quest without using any real horses. If they can’t avoid exploiting animals for their art, they should find a new medium, because no one wants to see a spinoff for TV with torment as the theme."
A lot goes into making good media. Producing a film or TV show takes blood, sweat, and tears. Sometimes the process can seriously injure a member of the cast or crew, or even claim an innocent life.
Explore this gallery to find out some productions featured cast and crew who were seriously injured or worse during filming.
Notorious TV and film accidents
Tragic cases during the production of TV and films
MOVIES Accidents
A lot goes into making good media. Producing a film or TV show takes blood, sweat, and tears. Sometimes the process can seriously injure a member of the cast or crew, or even claim an innocent life.
Explore this gallery to find out some productions featured cast and crew who were seriously injured or worse during filming.