10 Behind-The-Scenes Movie Stories That Prove Being An Actor Is Dangerous

Behind-the-scenes stories reveal that being an actor is not as safe as one might hope when movie stars often find themselves in dangerous situations while filming. The biggest disasters to ever happen on movie sets are the worst-case scenarios, but other shocking stories that thankfully ended with no permanent injuries recount actors encountering danger. This may be due to hazardous filming conditions, intense choreography, or misunderstandings with people outside the crew.

Actors famous for doing their own stunts are at risk of injury, as well as those managing complex set pieces. Unfortunately, negligence on the part of the crew may lead to an actor being injured, if safety standards aren’t met and stunt doubles aren’t used when they are needed. Certain examples regarded as the most hostile movie sets ever are far enough in the past that people would hope these conditions wouldn’t happen again today. Yet actors may encounter anything as they navigate the creation of new stories.

10 Halle Berry Hit Her Head Filming A Fight Scene

The Call (2013)

Generally, things are prone to go wrong when filming action sequences, necessitating the use of stunt doubles with specialized training to protect the actors. At the time of filming The Call, Halle Berry was already a seasoned action star, having completed iconic action movies such as Catwoman and X-Men. Despite her experience, accidents may still happen; while filming The Call, Berry hit her head on the concrete floor and was knocked out (via Den of Geek). She promptly received medical attention and made a full recovery.

This was hardly the first time Berry had been injured on set. While filming action staples such as Die Another Day, Catwoman, and Cloud Atlas, she ended up with some other breaks and bruises, including a different head injury. Berry is also not the only action star to have been repeatedly injured and needed to seek treatment while filming throughout her career.

9 The Cast Of Dune Filmed In Awful Heat

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Austin Butler and the rest of the Dune 2 cast and crew found themselves filming in 110-degree heat, causing heat stroke (via Variety). The desert setting is, of course, a key part of Dune‘s story, resulting in this arduous filming experience. Butler reported that several people passed out, but didn’t specify who.

Heat waves are surprisingly dangerous but always miserable for the cast wearing potentially heavy costumes and the crew tasked with carrying around equipment. On a more positive note, Butler said: “It really bonds the entire crew […] There’s something so humbling about being in such an uncomfortable environment.”

Meanwhile, director Denis Villeneuve said that he felt he had made the right choice to not film his two Dune movies back-to-back after realizing how “physically taxing” they would be to produce. “[…] to have a break in between them was a blessing,” said Villeneuve, for the entire cast and crew. It may have resulted in a longer hiatus between movies, but this kind of moderation while filming is important for the health of everyone involved.

8 Daniel Craig Knocked Out Two Teeth Filming A Bond Fight

Casino Royale (2006)

Daniel Craig quickly learned that he was not in for an easy time playing James Bond when he knocked out two teeth during the filming of Casino Royale (via MovieWeb). Any actor stepping into the role of James Bond may expect to be met with some backlash when it is such a monumental and iconic part to play. However, Craig dealt with a lot of criticism when his casting was announced, before heading into a demanding production.

The opening fight scene was the first thing filmed for Casino Royale, possibly explaining why both Craig and the crew weren’t fully prepared. Craig was presumably accidentally hit too hard by one of the other actors, resulting in the producers needing to fly in his dentist and requiring him to wear a protective gumshield for the rest of the production. Craig and the crew adapted, and he made it through five Bond movies and became one of the most beloved actors to play 007.

7 Margot Robbie Trained Relentlessly For I, Tonya

I, Tonya (2017)

Filming isn’t the only difficult part of being an actor; training can be just as demanding, starting early before a particularly physical role. While action stars, including Margot Robbie, train for fight scenes so they can have a safe filming experience, the Barbie star doubled down on learning to ice skate for I, Tonya. Robbie emphasized (via The Hollywood Reporter) the difficulty of learning the sport as an adult when the movie correctly depicts Harding’s career beginning when she was a child: “When you’re a kid, you’re fearless, but starting at 26 years old, I had a lot of fear.”

Robbie reportedly got a herniated disc in her neck early on in training for I, Tonya but didn’t realize that she had the injury until a week into filming. In particular, I, Tonya illustrates the physical demands on the ice skaters that Robbie and the crew had to meet to tell the story. While other actors playing real-life athletes may find themselves in similar situations, the I, Tonya crew resorted to special effects to capture Harding’s famous triple axel.

6 Isla Fisher Almost Drowned Filming Henley’s First Scene

Now You See Me (2013)

Now You See Me starts things off on a high note with the introduction to the four main characters being them conducting their own magic acts at different locations. In the case of Isla Fisher”s Henley, she terrifies her audience by making them believe she is stuck in a tank about to be swamped by piranhas, before miraculously escaping. It’s even darker when Fisher reported that she nearly drowned while filming this (via eonline.com).

The mechanism for Fisher to release herself from the tank malfunctioned, and she was stuck underwater for a few minutes. She tried to get the attention of the crew, but as she was supposed to be panicking in the scene, they misinterpreted it as her acting. While shaken by the incident, Fisher eventually got out of the tank and was not seriously harmed; she has shared the story in interviews.

5 Michelle Yeoh Tore Her ACL During Courtyard Scene

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features one of the best fantasy movie performances ever by martial arts icon Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh came into Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with stunt experience, but faced a new challenge when director Ang Lee wanted to use a different combat style than what she was familiar with.

Yeoh tore her ACL during the courtyard fight scene; she completed filming by sitting in a wheelbarrow and mimicking running before getting surgery and spending weeks recovering (via IndieWire). While some actors recount powering through an injury, Lee took this safer approach for the scene’s final shot.

Related

10 Actors Who Got Injured Doing Their Own Stunts

An actor’s commitment to their role sometimes leads them to perform their own stunts. However, this dedication can raise the risk of on-set injuries.

However, other close calls have prompted Yeoh to ask questions such as: “Why am I doing this? Is it worth it? If I really got hurt, then what?” Yeoh has continued to film action movies, most recently Everything Everywhere All at Once, hopefully with ever-improving safety measures.

4 Peter Mayhew Needed A Security Detail As Chewbacca

Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi (1983)

Stories claim that Peter Mayhew was told to not wander around the set in costume while filming Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (via Vanity Fair). George Lucas notably depended on location filming for the original trilogy, seeking out spectacular deserts and forests to serve as various galactic settings. For the green planet of Endor, the original Star Wars cast traveled to the California redwoods to film their (assumed) final battle with the Empire.

Mayhew, always in his full Chewbacca costume, is said to have been escorted around the set by a security detail to protect him from hunters who might have mistaken him for Bigfoot or another animal. Mayhew was also seven feet tall, an aspect that helped him land the role of Chewbacca but made him more visible under these circumstances. Filming passed without any reported incidents — Harrison Ford has been injured many more times while filming.

3 Harrison Ford’s Leg Was Damaged By The Millennium Falcon’s Door

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Ford’s return to the Star Wars set was met with an injury that could have been much worse. Reportedly, Ford’s leg was broken by the hydraulic door of the Millennium Falcon, which he didn’t realize was active. Director J.J. Abrams later revealed that he also injured his back trying to lift the door off Ford, and hid his back brace from everyone for the rest of filming (via The Hollywood Reporter).

While Ford recovered and returned to filming, Foodles Production company, owned by Disney, was held responsible for the lack of communication regarding the new Millennium Falcon door “capable of killing one or possibly two people” and was fined $2 million (via The Guardian). Ford commented on how the set had changed since the time the Falcon’s doors were operated manually, saying: “Now we had lots of money and technology and so they built a f*****g great hydraulic door which closed at light speed.” Overall, the event demonstrates the need for strict safety protocols around complex sets.

2 Jake Gyllenhaal Smashed A Mirror & Had To Get Stitches

Nightcrawler (2014)

Jake Gyllenhaal gave an underrated, Joker-like performance in the thriller Nightcrawler, and his commitment to Lou Bloom’s characterization resulted in injury. During an intense scene where Lou is looking at himself in a mirror, Gyllenhaal possibly improvised punching the mirror, smashing it to pieces, and resulting in his getting 42 stitches. Other scenes in the movie show Gyllenhaal with his hands behind his back, to hide the cast he was wearing at the time (via Far Out).

It seems likely that if director Dan Gilroy had planned on Lou breaking the mirror in the scene, precautions would have been taken to prevent Gyllenhaal’s injury. The action is in character for Lou, a maniacal con man destroying lives on his way to becoming a successful journalist. Gyllenhaal’s performance is doubtlessly the driving force behind Nightcrawler, cultivating his disturbing interactions with the other characters.

1 Almost The Entire Fellowship Of The Ring Got Hurt

The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

The Lord of the Rings cast endured an intense production when the epic battle sequences resulted in various mishaps. Viggo Mortensen famously broke his toes when he kicked an Orc’s helmet (an unscripted moment) after a discovery that leads the group to assume Pippin and Merry are dead, and his angry scream is at least partially real.

Mortensen also reportedly broke a tooth while filming Helm’s Deep; according to Peter Jackson, this barely slowed him down, and he insisted they keep going (via SlashFilm). Meanwhile, Orlando Bloom broke a rib falling off a horse, Sean Astin sliced his foot, and John Rhys-Davies’ stand-in Brett Beattie dislocated his ankle, all reportedly only while filming the second movie.

Related

Lord Of The Rings’ Most Ambitious Trick That Led To $2.9 Billion Success Will Likely Never Be Repeated

Peter Jackson’s adaptations of The Lord of the Rings trilogy are impressive for countless reasons, including this behind-the-scenes trick he used.

Lord of the Rings favored more open sets, but real and prop weapons as well as moments improvised without forethought still caused some minor injuries. Most of the time, the cast of big action movies get by without any lasting injuries, but their stories still demonstrate some danger in their work.

Source: Den of Geek, Variety, MovieWeb, The Hollywood Reporter, eonline.com, IndieWire, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Far Out, SlashFilm