When Stunts Don't Go As Planned
Movie stunts can be one of the most impressive aspects of a production—but they've been known to go terribly wrong. Here are some of the stunts that did not go as planned.
Inglourious Basterds (2009): The Burning French Cinema
One of the most memorable scenes in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds is when Sgt Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth) takes down the Führer himself at a French cinema. Everything is on fire, with the audience screaming and trying to escape. However, Roth later confessed that the scene was a near-fatal experience.
Inglourious Basterds (2009): The Burning French Cinema
During filming, the fire quickly raged out of control. Roth explained, "[The flames] were spreading so exponentially. They said if we were in there another 15 seconds, the stage we were on would have collapsed and we all would have been killed".
Gilligan's Island: A Lion Almost Jumped On Bob Denver
Zamba the lion was pretty famous in Hollywood—a well-trained actor in his own right. But during the Gilligan's Island episode "Feed the Kitty," he almost caused a serious bloodbath.
Gilligan's Island: A Lion Almost Jumped On Bob Denver
During the ill-fated scene, Bob Denver—who played Gilligan—was supposed to sneak past the lion reclining on the bed in order to leave a room. During the rehearsals, Zamba the lion played his part spectacularly. However, when it came time to capture the real scene, things went sideways.
Gilligan's Island: A Lion Almost Jumped On Bob Denver
Zamba wound up lunging at Denver as he moved by him. The show's creator, Sherwood Schwartz, later wrote about the incident: "The only thing that saved Bob’s life is the fact that the bed wasn’t bolted to the floor. As a result, when the lion made his leap toward Bob, the lion’s back legs pushed the bed backwards, removing the force from his jump. Because of this, the lion’s leap fell short of Bob by about two feet".
The Last Samurai (2003): Tom Cruise Almost Lost His Head
Tom Cruise is known for his incredible stunts—but on the set of 2003's The Last Samurai, one scene almost ended with him losing his head. You see, unsurprisingly, Cruise wanted to do all the stunts himself. He confidently rode the mechanical horses and learned his own sword work.
The Last Samurai (2003): Tom Cruise Almost Lost His Head
In this particular scene, actor Hiroyuki Sanada had to swing a sword in the direction of Cruise's head. That's when the mechanical horse suddenly moved unpredictably. It had malfunctioned mid-scene in the worst way possible. Luckily, Sanada's martial arts training paid off.
The Last Samurai (2003): Tom Cruise Almost Lost His Head
Sanada later spoke about the terrifying incident saying, "Tom’s neck was right in front of me, and I tried to stop swinging my sword, but it was hard to control with one hand. The film crew watching from the side all screamed because they thought Tom’s head would fly off".
Now You See Me (2013): Isla Fisher's Chilling Magic Trick Scene
Isla Fisher did her own stunts in 2013's Now You See Me, including the adrenaline-pumping water tank scene—but while the cameras were rolling, it all went awry.
Now You See Me (2013): Isla Fisher's Chilling Magic Trick Scene
While acting out the scene, Fisher realized her chains were stuck and that she could not access the safety button. That's when she began to panic.
Now You See Me (2013): Isla Fisher's Chilling Magic Trick Scene
Unfortunately, Fisher's character was also supposed to be in distress, so it wasn't initially clear that she was actually on the verge of drowning. She later explained, "They had a guy who was off camera, but he was a long way away with a can of oxygen... by the time I realized I couldn't get up and beckoned for him, I realized that I had run out of air".
Now You See Me (2013): Isla Fisher's Chilling Magic Trick Scene
It was an incredibly close call, with the underwater scene lasting over two minutes, but Fisher made it out alive after the stunt coordinator finally caught on to the fact that she was in mortal danger.
The Expendables 3 (2014): Jason Statham's Diving Prowess Saved His Life
While on the set of The Expendables 3, Jason Statham was behind the wheel of a truck when disaster struck. The brakes gave out, causing the vehicle to crash into the Black Sea and sink a whopping 60 feet.
The Expendables 3 (2014): Jason Statham's Diving Prowess Saved His Life
In a later interview, Stallone remembered the unbelievable accident, saying, "If anyone else had been in that truck we would have been dead because we were all wearing heavy boots and gun belts. We would have drowned. But because Jason is an Olympic-quality diver he got out of it".
The Expendables 3 (2014): Jason Statham's Diving Prowess Saved His Life
Before he kicked off his acting career, Statham had been a professional swimmer and part of Britain's National Swimming Squad. Little did he know, his prowess would become the key to his survival down the road.
The Expendables 3 (2014): Jason Statham's Diving Prowess Saved His Life
Though Statham later confessed that he truly thought he was done for after his truck sank in the water, he managed to swim to safety. He was extremely lucky that the truck's doors had been removed, making his escape a little bit easier.
Back To The Future Part III (1990): Michael J Fox's Dangerous Noose
In 1989, Michael J Fox was on the set of Back to the Future Part III when one of his stunts went terribly wrong. Playing his beloved character, Marty McFly, Fox had to act out a hanging scene.
Back To The Future Part III (1990): Michael J Fox's Dangerous Noose
Though Fox had already rehearsed this scene prior to filming the scene, the rope did not cooperate as planned. Unfortunately, the rope tightened too much, causing the actor to cease breathing.
Back To The Future Part III (1990): Michael J Fox's Dangerous Noose
As Fox later shared, “I swung unconscious at the end of the rope for several seconds before Bob Zemeckis, fan of me though he was, realized even I wasn't that good of an actor". Thankfully, the crew on set was able to get to him before it was too late.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018): Dylan O'Brien's Near-Fatal Accident
While filming 2018's Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Dylan O'Brien's botched stunt became a downright nightmare that caused the entire production to close down. Of course, that wasn't the worst part.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018): Dylan O'Brien's Near-Fatal Accident
O'Brien's stunt involved automobiles. According to reports, he got dragged off one vehicle, only for another vehicle to drive into him. His injuries were horrific.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018): Dylan O'Brien's Near-Fatal Accident
Some of O'Brien's wounds included a facial fracture, brain trauma, and a concussion. His recovery was so rough that the actor even wondered if he'd ever be able to act again. He later expressed his frustration.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018): Dylan O'Brien's Near-Fatal Accident
He told Men's Health, “I can look at that day and know I was a 24-year-old kid who was raising concerns about how we were approaching things, and they were not listened to, they were not respected. And then what happened happened. And by all accounts, it was all pretty gotten away with, I would say, as well".
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983): The Fatal Helicopter Crash
Perhaps one of the most infamous stunts to ever go wrong occurred on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie. Sadly, three actors lost their lives.
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983): The Fatal Helicopter Crash
During this particular scene, actor Vic Morrow had to carry two child actors—seven-year-old Myca Dinh Le and six-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen—across a river. However, there was also a helicopter in the scene. When a mortar effect went off right below its tail, a horror show ensued.
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983): The Fatal Helicopter Crash
The mortar effect damaged the helicopter, causing it to plummet toward the river and the three actors, who all perished upon impact. In the wake of this tragedy, a controversy ensued. The filmmakers, including John Landis, ended up in court—but were eventually acquitted.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010): The Boy Who Lived
David Holmes had been working as a stunt double on the Harry Potter series since the beginning, standing in for the lead actor Daniel Radcliffe. Holmes loved his job—but on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, one of his stunts ended in disaster.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010): The Boy Who Lived
In this particular scene, Holmes had to be thrown against a wall. It was for the fight scene between Harry Potter and Nagini. However, one tweak to the pulley system—a pretty typical one—increased the speed at which Holmes would be thrown.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010): The Boy Who Lived
Unfortunately, Holmes hit the wall in the worst way possible. He later confessed, “I knew straight away. I knew I’d broken my neck. I was fully conscious". Tragically, the accident left Holmes permanently paralyzed. 2023 saw the release of the documentary David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived.
Promising Young Woman (2020): Carey Mulligan Began Suffocating
Spoiler Alert: The end of Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan and Chris Lowell, is punctuated by an unforgettable smothering scene. Unfortunately, it didn't go quite as planned.
Promising Young Woman (2020): Carey Mulligan Began Suffocating
In the scene, Lowell's character smothers the lead character (Mulligan) with a pillow. Though the first few takes went okay, Mulligan began to suffocate for real during the fourth take.
Promising Young Woman (2020): Carey Mulligan Began Suffocating
Lowell later explained, "We had a signal that we worked out with the stunt coordinator and she tapped me really lightly on my leg and I got off of her immediately. And she sat up and took the pillow off and tears just exploded out of her eyes. She knew that she was safe and OK but it was also terrifying because she was living that moment".
The River Wild (1994): Meryl Streep Almost Drowned
A world without Meryl Streep?? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, we almost lost her back in 1994 when she experienced a terrifying close call while performing a stunt in The River Wild, directed by Curtis Hanson.
The River Wild (1994): Meryl Streep Almost Drowned
During filming, Streep performed some of the easier white water rafting stunts herself—but on one particular day, she was extremely tired. Despite communicating this to Hanson, he still convinced her to do another take. This turned out to be a horrifying mistake.
The River Wild (1994): Meryl Streep Almost Drowned
The stunt went so wrong, with Streep's boat turning over. She later spoke to the Orlando Sentinel about the experience: "I remember sinking down to the bottom with this powerful and freezing water pulling me in deeper".
The River Wild (1994): Meryl Streep Almost Drowned
The current pulled the actress 500 yards down the river, where a kayaker eventually helped her to safety. Streep was not happy—and had the perfect comeback to throw at her director. She told him, "I really feel quite sure, if I say that I’m too tired to do something, then we have to assume I’m telling the truth".