Another Top 10 Actors Who Nearly Died On Set
If a stunt is deemed too dangerous, professional actors will often opt to use a stunt double, but sometimes through unforeseen circumstances, actors do find themselves in real danger. WatchMojo presents our seconds list on the Top 10 Actors Who Nearly Died on Set! But what will take the top spot on our list? Will it be Jim Caviezel in the Passion of the Christ, Jackie Chan in Police Story, or Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now? Watch to find out!
#10: Dylan O'Brien “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” (2018)
A post-apocalyptic world doesn't make for a safe work environment apparently. In March of 2016, it was reported that actor Dylan O’Brien had been struck by a car on set while working on The Death Cure, resulting in multiple injuries. The exact nature of the injuries were not initially revealed to the public but he was rushed to the hospital. The production was initially put on hold for a little under two months, before being extended “indefinitely.” It was close to a full calendar year before shooting resumed. It turns out that Dylan had suffered a facial fracture, concussion and brain trauma, as well as other injuries.
#9: Viggo Mortensen “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002)
Depending on who you ask… Mortensen came close to dying in Middle-Earth twice. Viggo almost drowned doing one of his own stunts – which is well established. Aragorn was supposed to be doing a dead man’s float down the river, but the speed of the current, coupled with the weight of his costume made for real danger. Mortensen was pulled underwater... and nearly stayed there. But it's also been reported that a scene where Aragorn deflects the Uruk-hai’s throwing knife was actually a mistake, and the deflection was actually self-preservation. Planned or accidental, Viggo’s clearly got some survivial skills.
#8: Ed Harris “The Abyss” (1989)
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James Cameron consistently pushes the boundaries of visual effects, but when it comes to water scenes, he prefers the old-fashioned way. Titanic wasn’t the first time Cameron reportedly almost led a cast member to a watery grave – just ask Ed Harris. For one particularly elaborate scene in The Abyss, Harris was dragged, without oxygen, many feet underwater. When he ran out of air Harris called to cut, but due to complications he wasn’t given oxygen until he was on the edge of passing out. According to the actor, the traumatic episode caused him to weep that night. Rumor has it, he also punched Cameron in the face.
#7: Sylvester Stallone “Rocky IV” (1985)
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By the time Stallone was filming the first Expendables movie he was already in his sixties, but he was still doing many of his own stunts and fight scenes. This resulted in an inadvertent neck fracture for the Italian Stallion courtesy of Stone Cold Steve Austin. It wasn't his first on-set injury, of course. While filming Rocky IV, Stallone once asked his mountain of a co-star to punch him as hard as he could. His co-star - Dolph Lundgren - obliged, and sent Stallone to the hospital with a swollen heart. Without medical attention, it's very likely Stallone would have died from the punch.
#6: Kevin Costner “Waterworld” (1995)
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Waterworld is widely considered to be one of the greatest cinematic failures in the history of the industry. From production through to the box office, everything that could go wrong, did. For one scene, Kevin Costner was strapped to the mast of his character’s boat - forty feet in the air. When a storm picked up, conditions proved too difficult to get Costner down safely and he was left there to be assaulted by the storm for 30 minutes. The Hawaiian set was regularly hammered by brutal weather, but unable to shield himself from this particular storm, Costner claims it nearly cost him his life.
#5: Halle Berry Various Films
This Academy Award winning actress has had more than her fair share of on-set accidents. While filming Die Another Day, a stunt involving a helicopter resulted in Berry getting shrapnel in her eye - which had to be medically removed. On the set of Gothika, Robert Downey Jr. accidentally broke her arm while shooting a confrontational scene. And on two occasions, Berry’s actually suffered head trauma. While shooting Catwoman, lighting equipment hit her over the head, and in 2012 she hit her head on a concrete floor during a fight scene for The Call. Thankfully neither proved serious.
#4: Eli Wallach “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966)
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Wallach has had his share of accidents, but they all happened during a single film. While shooting Sergio Leone's masterpiece, Eli nearly bit the dust a whopping three times. In one instance, he had to be rushed to hospital after someone left a bottle of acid next to his prop bottle of soda, which he drank. Another time, a bound Wallach was put at risk when the horse he was mounted to was spooked and ran off for a mile. And then there was the incident where he was nearly decapitated by the heavy iron steps of a speeding train. Remarkably he survived, dying at age 98 in 2014.
#3: Martin Sheen “Apocalypse Now” (1979)
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An infamously troubled shoot, the cast and crew of the critically acclaimed film have said that, much like Marlon Brando’s Col. Kurtz, many involved in the production kind of lost their minds. Those involved partied very, very hard, getting lost in the jungle atmosphere and losing themselves in their roles. Martin Sheen, who was already hitting the bottle, began to lean even more heavily into alcohol throughout the high-stress shoot. Ultimately his body responded in the form of a heart attack and nervous breakdown. He survived, but the entire experience would continue to haunt him for years.
#2: Jim Caviezel “The Passion of the Christ” (2004)
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Shooting in the countryside outside of Rome, the cast and crew of “The Passion of the Christ” continued to work through some less than favorable weather conditions. While recreating the Sermon on the Mount, Jim Caviezel was literally struck by lightning. He walked away unscathed, but he clearly got off lucky - roughly 24,000 people die from lightning each year... although, very few of them are actors. Assistant director Jan Michelini, who was standing beside Caviezel, also got struck, although for him, it was the second time in the production. Think somebody was trying to tell them something? Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Buster Keaton “Sherlock Jr.” (1924) Charlize Theron “Æon Flux” (2005) Margaret Hamilton “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)
#1: Jackie Chan “Police Story” (1985)
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This action legend has put life and limb on the line enough times to earn his stunt work a top ten list of its own. Of course, with that sort of commitment comes serious risk. One of Chan's scariest on-sets moments came while filming the Police Story - which he wrote and directed himself. The 1985 film included a scene where he had to slide down a seventy-foot pole surrounded by string lights. For his trouble, he received second-degree burns, a dislocated pelvis and two damaged vertebrae in his spine. Chan not only survived, but also went on to film countless other awe-inspiring feats.
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