Dreadful accident on set almost cost actor Dylan O'Brien his life

In March 2016, the 24-year-old Dylan O'Brien was dreaming of becoming Hollywood's new star. The actor had stolen the show in the MTV series 'Teen Wolf', where his character Stiles was the unexpected hero, and he now got a starring role in a teen trilogy  'The Maze Runner'.

As he was filming the third and final installment of the saga, the doors to Hollywood seemed endless. Dylan O'Brien had talent, great looks, charisma, and style. But then, tragedy struck.

In one particular action scene, a harness failed. Dylan O'Brien fell and was hit by a car. The result: a facial fracture, a concussion, and trauma with lacerations to the head.

Filming was halted for a full year, which gives you an idea of the severity of Dylan O'Brien's injuries. They could well have cost him his life on that film set.

Luckily, and after many months of hard work, the actor managed to complete the trilogy whose final film 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' was released a year later than planned (in 2018).

In between, Dylan O'Brien brought back his character Stiles in a new 'Teen Wolf'. They adapted the plot to the actor's injuries, as it was the only way to have the actor in the last season.

On 18 March 2016, Dylan O'Brien not only put his life at risk but also his career. Fortunately for him, he has recovered and is back at work.

As you can imagine, the actor's perception of work and life has changed completely since that accident.

"Whenever I’m putting on a rig, I'm vetting every piece of that rig and much more," he told Variety in 2020. "Even to this day, if I'm on set and I'm doing a stunt, if I'm in a rig, if there's some action going on, I am slightly irritable. There is a degree of anxiety in me that I don’t think there's ever not going to be."

On a personal level, the accident also made him prioritize elements of his life that he had previously put on the back burner.

"I had friends that were so dear to me that I had felt that I had neglected for years," he told Variety. "All of a sudden, it was very important to me to nurture those relationships and not lose them. I think that it absolutely completely rewires and restructures the way you see your life and what you deem important."

Even now, long after the accident, Dylan O'Brien hasn't been offered a role as important as that of Thomas in 'The Maze Runner'. The closest he has come has been his remarkable work in 'Love and Monsters'.

Nevertheless, the actor continues to have his talent, charisma, and style. Moreover, he has vital experience to learn from. If anyone doubts he is still a hot prospect in Hollywood, then they don't know Dylan O'Brien.

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