Hollywood stars who nearly died on set

Glen Powell: 'Anyone But You'
Kate Winslet: 'Titanic'
Scarlett Johansson: 'Lucy'
Tom Cruise: 'The Last Samurai'
Uma Thurman: 'Kill Bill 2'
Tom Hanks: 'Cast Away'
Mel Gibson: 'Braveheart'
George Clooney: 'Syriana'
Viggo Mortensen: 'The Lord of the Rings'
Charlize Theron: 'Aeon Flux'
Sylvester Stallone: 'Rocky IV'
Brendan Fraser: 'The Mummy'
Michael J. Fox: 'Back to the Future III'
Harrison Ford in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
Tom Cruise in 'Mission: Impossible'
Hugh Jackman: 'Wolverine'
Jennifer Lawrence: 'The Hunger Games'
Jackie Chan: 'Armour of God'
Isla Fisher: 'Now You See Me'
Jason Statham: 'The Expendables 3'
Aaron Paul: 'Breaking Bad'
Chevy Chase: 'Modern Problems'
Gerard Butler: 'Chasing Mavericks'
Matthew Fox: 'Lost'
Meryl Streep: 'Into the Woods'
Margaret Hamilton: 'The Wizard of Oz'
Eli Roth: 'Inglourious Basterds'
Daniel Day-Lewis: 'Gangs of New York'
Glen Powell: 'Anyone But You'

In the 2023 romantic comedy, Glen Powell finds himself struggling to balance on the edge of a cliff at some point. Filming the scene, in which both he and Sydney Sweeney undress to clear themselves from spiders, was almost fatal for him. As he told Variety, "Taking your clothes off on the side of a cliff in a hurry is not safe... I almost died falling off a cliff taking my pants off too fast. But it's a really fun scene, so it was all worth it."

Kate Winslet: 'Titanic'

Her character's long and heavy coat got stuck in a door as one giant wave came for the actress and her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. To prevent herself from drowning, Winslet had to shake off the wet coat. James Cameron, the director, didn't even notice the incident had occurred and continued filming the next scene as if nothing had happened.

Scarlett Johansson: 'Lucy'

In one of the scenes of the film 'Lucy,' Scarlett Johansson had to jump off a moving vehicle. However, the backpack she was carrying got hooked to the car, and Johansson was dragged over the ground for a few feet before the driver realized what was happening.

Tom Cruise: 'The Last Samurai'

During a sword fight, Tom Cruise was almost beheaded. It happened when his co-star, Hiroyuki Sanada, couldn't control his heavy sword while riding on a mechanical horse.

Uma Thurman: 'Kill Bill 2'

The actress recently declared that Quentin Tarantino convinced her to drive a car during an action scene she wasn't sure of. The car crashed due to an unexpected twist in the road, causing the actress severe injuries.

Tom Hanks: 'Cast Away'

The actor was so involved in the movie that he suffered a cut on his leg. Hanks didn't pay attention to it until the wound started to develop an infection that had him rushed into the hospital.

Mel Gibson: 'Braveheart'

The actor fell off his horse and the 1,000-pound animal fell on top of him. Luckily for everyone, his stuntman saw the accident and saved him immediately.

George Clooney: 'Syriana'

While he was shooting a scene where his character was being tortured, the actor suffered a spinal injury. To this day, Clooney still experiences severe headaches.

Viggo Mortensen: 'The Lord of the Rings'

In a scene where Aragorn was unconscious floating down a river, the strength of the stream was more than what production had anticipated. Mortensen had to be rescued, and not without difficulty due to the heavy clothes he was wearing.

Charlize Theron: 'Aeon Flux'

The actress was doing some backflips for her scene when she fell and landed on her neck. She was a centimeter away from being physically paralyzed.

Sylvester Stallone: 'Rocky IV'

One of the punches that his fictional adversary landed on the actor was so hard that Stallone's heart was pushed violently against his ribcage. The actor spent nine days at the hospital.

 

Brendan Fraser: 'The Mummy'

In one of the early scenes of the movie, we can see Brendan's character being hanged in a prison. Well, to make the scene more realistic, production tightened the rope a bit more. The actor started choking and finally blacked out.

Michael J. Fox: 'Back to the Future III'

The same thing happened to Fox, who in another 'hanged by the neck' scene almost choked and ended up passing out when he was unable to breathe.

Harrison Ford in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

One of the doors of the iconic millennial falcon fell onto Ford's leg and broke it. The accident put the actor out of production for a couple of months.

Tom Cruise in 'Mission: Impossible'

He was jumping from one building to another but miscalculated and broke his ankle. The accident could have ended far worse.

Hugh Jackman: 'Wolverine'

Having razor-sharp claws is no joke and Hugh Jackman knows it well. The actor has a permanent scar near his left eye because he almost scratched it out of his face. He also nearly got a neck injury while swinging out of a train carriage. It's a miracle he is still walking.

Jennifer Lawrence: 'The Hunger Games'

Jennifer's character had to go through a tunnel full of smoke that was poorly ventilated. The actress almost suffered severe intoxication and production was delayed for a couple of days.

Jackie Chan: 'Armour of God'

The stunt consisted of jumping from a wall into a tree, but the twig broke and the actor hit his head against a rock. A small piece of his skull went into his brain and had to be removed by surgery.

Isla Fisher: 'Now You See Me'

Simulating a magic trick, Isla Fisher had to immerse herself in a water tank and then free herself from some chains. While the actress had to pretend her character was drowning, in reality, she was having a lot of trouble getting above water. Everyone else on set thought she was just giving an excellent performance, but Fisher nearly drowned.

Jason Statham: 'The Expendables 3'

The English actor almost drowned when the three-ton wheeler he was driving crashed into the Black Sea. Luckily, Statham is an Olympic-quality diver and he managed to get out of the truck in one piece.

Aaron Paul: 'Breaking Bad'

While shooting one of the episodes, his alter ego Pinkman moved from one specific spot to another. Seconds later, a big rock landed where the actor had just stood.

Chevy Chase: 'Modern Problems'

While the actor's character was dreaming about being an airplane, Chevy had some 'landing lights' attached to his body. The lights short-circuited and electricity ran through his entire body, leaving him unconscious. Modern problems, indeed!

Gerard Butler: 'Chasing Mavericks'

A giant 20-foot wave sunk Butler under the water while shooting a scene on the sea. Funnily enough, his character was supposed to be saving a man from drowning.

Matthew Fox: 'Lost'

The actor was stabbed while shooting a wrestling scene. His co-star, Terry O'Quinn, accidentally used a real knife instead of the fake one.

Meryl Streep: 'Into the Woods'

The acclaimed actress was saved from a scary fall by her co-star Emily Blunt. Streep had to jump over a table, but her shoe got caught in her cape and she started to fall backward.

Margaret Hamilton: 'The Wizard of Oz'

The actress was supposed to disappear through a trapdoor on the floor but it didn't open. The sparks caused by the smoke explosion, which was supposed to hide her disappearance, caused her hair and costume to catch fire.

Eli Roth: 'Inglourious Basterds'

In a really violent and action-filled Tarantino film, Eli Roth had to shoot inside a burning French theater. The flames were real and got so high and uncontrollable that the props and part of the décor started to burn as well… The actor was told that with 15 seconds more on the set, he wouldn't have survived.

Daniel Day-Lewis: 'Gangs of New York'

The low temperatures and the historical costumes that Day-Lewis was wearing at all times caused the Oscar-winning actor to suffer from severe pneumonia.

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