It is not as simple as it appears to be to become a star in Hollywood. During the course of shooting, you will undoubtedly come across a variety of challenges, some of which may even involve a narrow escape from death. Here are some of the actors that came dangerously close to passing away while they were working:
1. Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, a legend in the world of martial arts, is known for being willing to do his stunts, even though many of those stunts have backfired and brought him within inches of death.
After jumping from a wall onto a tea branch for a shot in Armour of God, he suffered a horrific fall of five meters when the branch broke. His skull was fractured after hitting a rock, and he needed emergency surgery. Because of the tragic action, Chan now has a permanent hole in his head filled with a plastic plug and a small hearing loss in one ear.
2. Charlize Theron
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Actress Charlize Theron, who won an Oscar, didn’t get very far with her role in the 2005 science fiction film Flux. The film was bombed at the box office and by critics, and the actress was injured horribly during filming, adding insult to injury. She landed poorly on her neck after attempting a backflip for a stunt, and she almost became paralyzed. Production was put on hold for the next eight weeks while Theron recuperated from her accident.
3. Tom Cruise
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It’s getting increasingly clear that Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise wants to die in each new Mission Impossible film. The actor almost died while filming the iconic helicopter scene from Mission: Impossible – Fallout, enduring a series of horrific stunts.
Cruise had to let go of a helicopter for the scene to work and land on top of some cargo being transported by the aircraft. It was a very risky stunt that could have ended the actor’s life instantly, even with the safety harness.
4. Jennifer Lawrence
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During the shoot of the first installment of The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence was on the verge of being choked to death by a malfunctioning fog machine. Her role is to lead the uprising down a tunnel, but the shoot has to be cut short when smoke is discovered. In any case, the fog machine malfunctioned, and the resulting overload produced such thick smoke that the actors were hardly discernible. All performers, including Lawrence, started coughing violently and barely avoided passing out.
5. Daniel Day-Lewis
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Possibly never to be matched, Daniel Day-Lewis is without a doubt the greatest method actor. It almost cost him his life when filming Gangs of New York because he was so committed to remaining in character at all times.
Even while Leonardo DiCaprio is the film’s main star, supporting actor Daniel Day-Lewis stole the show in this 1846-set film. When not on set, the former would frequent bars while maintaining his character and sharpening blades. He had also paid a high price for limiting himself to outfits appropriate for the film’s setting.
6. Johnny Depp
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Despite spending a good deal of time on horseback as Tonto in The Lone Ranger, Johnny Depp had some trouble with the stunts. The actor was injured when he fell off the horse during filming. While Depp was on the ground, medical personnel sprung into action. The actor was not seriously hurt and actually made light of the situation, saying, “Chicks dig a broken bone.”
7. Ed Harris
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Having a quiet day on the set of a James Cameron film is impossible. The legendary director has a reputation for being difficult to deal with, despite a body of work that includes many Oscar-worthy films. Ed Harris, who plays the lead, almost drowned during the production of The Abyss.
He was filming a scene underwater and suddenly found himself gasping for air. He motioned for more air, but someone gave him an inverted regulator, and he had to gulp down water instead. The only reason he is still alive is that a cameraman stepped in and stopped the action.
8. Jason Statham
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It’s common knowledge that Jason Statham films his fight scenes and daring stunts. When the truck’s brakes failed, sending it plummeting 60 feet toward the Black Sea, the sequence in The Expendables 3 was shot.
In this case, luck was on Statham’s side because the actor knew how to swim and could quickly exit the vehicle and return without incident. Sylvester Stallone and Terry Crews, who were there filming then, have praised Statham for how he handled the terrible circumstance.
9. Sylvester Stallone
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Actor Sylvester Stallone has also had a brush with death. In Rocky IV, he wanted Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago to punch him for authenticity’s sake during their climactic boxing bout. Lundgren was glad to comply, and he smacked Stallone so hard in the chest that his chest puffed up. Breathing became laborious for Stallone, and his blood pressure climbed to 200. Quickly, the actor was airlifted to Santa Monica’s Saint John’s Regional Medical Center, where he spent the next eight days in intensive care.
10. Viggo Mortensen
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Aragorn, the heroic leader of the Fellowship of the Ring, had narrowly escaped death on numerous occasions during his difficult journey. Still, the actor behind the iconic role wasn’t far behind. Viggo Mortensen, who played the lead, narrowly escaped death on set several times. He accidentally kicked a helmet, breaking two toes, almost drowned while wearing too much armor, and blocked a real knife thrown at him by a fellow actor with a swung sword.
