18 Behind-The-Scenes Stories Of Stunts Gone Wrong

No one should ever make a movie with water or rope again. Ever.

Making a movie can be a lot of fun, but sometimes, it can be dangerous. There have been many instances of real fatalities that have occurred during filming, but these actors just barely missed out on what could have been a tragic fate.

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So, here are just a few of the wildest behind-the-scenes stories of actors almost dying on film sets:

1. Isla Fisher nearly drowned for real while filming a water tank stunt in Now You See Me.

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There is a famous scene in Now You See Me where magician Henley Reeves chains her hands and ankles underwater with plans of making a daring escape, but suddenly begins to scream for help as she is unable to finish the illusion.

Unfortunately, this happened in real life, as the chain keeping actor Isla Fisher in the water tank got stuck, trapping her underwater for real. Desperate for help, she began banging on the glass for help. However, nobody suspected that she was drowning for real, believing she was simply offering a very convincing performance.

2. And Kate Winslet almost drowned while filming Titanic.

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Rose was almost the one who didn't make it while filming a scene in the iconic love story Titanic. During the sequence where she and Jack are trapped by a closed gate, her coat snagged on the gate, trapping her underwater. Winslet said, "I had to sort of shimmy out of the coat to get free. I had no breath left. I thought I’d burst. And [James Cameron] just said, ‘OK, let’s go again.’ That was his attitude. I didn’t want to be a wimp, so I didn’t complain."

3. Michael J. Fox almost choked to death filming a scene for Back to the Future Part III where Marty gets hanged.

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We all love the Back to the Future trilogy, but there is one scene in the third installment that could have cut this sci-fi adventure short. Actor Michael J. Fox detailed in his 2003 book Lucky Man: A Memoir a story of how he nearly died for real while filming a scene in Back to the Future Part III.

There's a scene where Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen attempts to hang Marty McFly. Fox was supposed to hold on to the rope to prevent it from touching his neck. However, when he let go, he began suffocating for real. Fox wrote, "I swung unconscious at the end of the rope for several seconds before [the director, Robert] Zemeckis — fan of me, though he was — realized even I wasn't that good of an actor."

4. And Brendan Fraser was also nearly hanged for real while filming The Mummy.

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During a scene in The Mummy where Rick O'Connell is hanged, Oscar-winning actor Brendan Fraser wanted the scene to look convincing. He bared down but quickly realized that he was on the balls of his feet as the rope was getting raised, leading him to pass out.

When Fraser came to, the stunt coordinator told him, "Hey, congratulations! You just joined the club with Mel Gibson. He got choked out on Braveheart, too."

5. Jennifer Lopez almost fell off of a cliff while filming Shotgun Wedding.

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There is a scene in the recent action rom-com Shotgun Wedding where Darcy gets her wedding dress pulled into the wheel of a car on the edge of a cliff. During the filming, her dress was pulled under for real. Lopez cried out for co-star Josh Duhamel, who pulled her to safety.

6. Gunnar Hansen almost died by his own chainsaw in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

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While filming a scene where Leatherface chases Sally through the woods at night, actor Gunnar Hansen had the iconic slasher mask over his head, which limited his visibility. At one point, Hansen slipped and fell, letting go of the real chainsaw and sending it into the air. The chainsaw landed a few inches away from Hansen's face, nearly turning him into a real-life victim.

7. Gerard Butler almost drowned in a surfing incident on Chasing Mavericks.

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In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, actor Gerard Butler detailed how, before he agreed to take on the role of surfer Frosty Hesson, he had virtually no experience with surfing. While filming a scene, a wave wiped Butler out, leaving him trapped underneath the water with a two-wave hold-down, meaning he was held so far underwater that he didn't have time to get up before another wave came in.

8. Jason Statham drove his truck into the sea while filming The Expendables 3.

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Action star Jason Statham once talked about a story on the set of The Expendables 3 where he was driving a three-ton truck at high speed. The brakes suddenly failed, launching him 60 feet into the Black Sea. Luckily for Statham, he had swum for England in the 1990 Commonwealth Games, and was able to use his swimming skills to dive to safety and paddle back to shore.

9. Tom Cruise was nearly beheaded during a scene in The Last Samurai.

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Although Cruise is well-known for his death-defying stunts in the Mission: Impossible series, he has demonstrated his dedication to real stunt work for years. One prime example is a scene in The Last Samurai where Ujio (Hiroyuki Sanada) swings a sword at Cruise. However, this is an example of it nearly taking a turn for the worse. While filming a fight scene, Cruise's mechanical horse malfunctioned, meaning that it wouldn't fall down at the right time. Sanada was able to stop swinging his sword just in time, half an inch before it would have reached Cruise's neck.

10. During the filming of the Lost series finale, Terry O'Quinn accidentally stabbed Matthew Fox with a real knife.

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In the finale of Lost, John Locke stabs Jack Shephard. It was supposed to be done with a prop rubber knife. However, during the filming, O'Quinn accidentally grabbed the wrong knife (a real one) and stabbed Fox. Luckily, Fox was wearing protective padding under his clothes, allowing him to survive and laugh it off.

11. Emily Blunt drove herself and Tom Cruise into a tree during a scene in Edge of Tomorrow.

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There is a scene in Edge of Tomorrow where Sergeant Rita Vrataski and Major William Cage are in a car chase. Actor Emily Blunt was behind the wheel, and Tom Cruise was in the passenger seat. Blunt was supposed to have their vehicle make a hard right. During the filming, Cruise suddenly started saying under his breath, "Brake. Brake. Brake!" Blunt then accidentally drove them into a tree, almost killing him. However, they were unscathed and immediately had a laugh about it afterwards.

12. And Pierce Brosnan saved Uma Thurman's life on the set of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

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While filming the fantasy movie, a runaway van began heading toward actor Uma Thurman and a few other members of the cast and crew. Pierce Brosnan ran after the vehicle, jumping inside and slamming on the brakes before it could hit anyone. Brosnan was met with a few well-deserved 007 jokes.

13. Bob Denver was almost attacked by a lion while filming Gilligan's Island.

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Show creator Sherwood Schwartz wrote in his book, Inside Gilligan's Island: From Creation to Syndication, about a near-death experience actor Bob Denver had while filming the show. The lion was supposed to stay on the bed as Denver tip-toed toward the door and escaped. It worked well in rehearsal, but when cameras rolled, the lion suddenly got up and pounced toward Denver. Luckily, the bed moved backwards right when the lion pounced, allowing the trainer time to get the animal away from Denver.

14. Tom Cruise saved Elisabeth Shue from spinning helicopter blades on the set of Cocktail.

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If there's anything Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible 7 social distancing rant taught us, it's that he cares a lot about safety. This dates back to his work on the 1988 comedy Cocktail, where he and costar Elisabeth Shue filmed a helicopter scene. The tail rotor at the back of the helicopter spins so fast that it is invisible, but can kill you instantly if you walk into it. And when Shue accidentally ran toward the blades, Cruise tackled her to the ground right before she would have suffered a terrible fate.

15. Meryl Streep almost drowned in a river in The River Wild.

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There are tons of water stunts in The River Wild, but one that sticks out is the one that nearly killed actor Meryl Streep. At the heel of a long day, Streep told director Curtis Hanson that she didn't want to go back into the water. However, Hanson requested one more take. She agreed. However, during the take, the boat rose and flipped over, sending Streep into the freezing water. A kayaker raced to her rescue. Streep recalled, "When I got to the shore, my legs actually went out from under me, but I still managed to get to Curtis. My heart was just pounding, and I tried to be calm when I said, 'I really feel quite sure if I say that I'm too tired to do something that we have to assume I'm telling the truth.'"

16. Jennifer Lawrence almost suffocated due to a fog machine on the set of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1.

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While filming a tunnel scene in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, a fog machine broke and began spewing so much smoke that she vanished from sight behind it. An assistant director reportedly yelled to shut off the machines and turn on the fans. A rescue team got Jennifer out of there, coughing. If she had spent more time in there, she may have suffocated, leading to an early end for Katniss Everdeen.

17. And Carey Mulligan nearly suffocated to death for real while filming a scene in Promising Young Woman.

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Actor Chris Lowell talked about filming a climactic scene in Promising Young Woman where his character puts a pillow over Cassie's head (Carey Mulligan) and suffocates her. The scene went well for the first three takes, but on the fourth one, Mulligan couldn't breathe for real. Luckily, unlike some of the other actors on this list, she was given a signal to indicate that she was really suffocating. Mulligan tapped Lowell on his leg, signaling him to immediately get off of her. Lowell refused to do another take after that.

18. And finally, Eli Roth was almost burned to a crisp during Inglourious Basterds.

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In order to film an iconic scene from Inglourious Basterds where the Bear Jew (Eli Roth) shoots off Hitler's face in a burning cinema, everything was built on a fire stage with controlled flames. However, the fire grew larger and hotter than expected. Roth remembers, "[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."

What is the wildest near-death experience you've heard of on a film or TV set? Let us know in the comments!