10 Movie Stars That Were Injured On Set

by Kevin Gardner

You may equate movie stars with mansions, money, glamor, the red carpet, and fancy cars, but the truth is that this job isn’t all fun and games. As in many other workplaces, working on a film set has risks, including equipment failure, set problems, and dangerous stunts.

Some actors commit themselves so much to the role that when they begin to act out a scene, they are willing to do things that endanger their physical integrity. Stunt doubles are trained to take on the riskiest scenes, but some actors insist on doing some stunts themselves. Many have been injured. This is why every year there are more and more options available for injured actors: from Stemwave therapy to physical therapy.

Are you wondering who’s been injured on set?

1. Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky IV”

During the filming of “Rocky IV”, Sylvester Stallone wanted to make the fight with Ivan Drago look as real as possible. He told Dolph Lundgren, who portrayed Ivan, to “just go out there and try to clock me.” Stallone ended up in the ICU for nine days.

2. Tom Hanks in “Cast Away”

Tom Hanks is another actor that gets very committed to his role. While filming “Cast Away” he suffered a Staph infection in his leg because he refused to bathe to make his appearance as real as possible. Doctors said he was close to dying.

3. Johnny Depp in “The Lone Ranger”

In 2013 while filming “The Lone Ranger” Depp had an accident with a horse during a scene in the desert; the animal threw him off and trampled him. Depp said he felt very lucky because after all he went through he only ended up with a bruise on his stomach.

4. Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible: Fallout”

During a scene where Tom Cruise had to leap from one building to another, the actor fell just short and broke his ankle when it smashed against the wall.

5. Leo DiCaprio in “Django Unchained”

Leonardo DiCaprio needed some stitches after slamming his hand into glass. And, fun fact: DiCaprio continued in character and made the injury a part of the scene.

6. George Clooney in “Syriana”

On the set of “Syriana”, the actor had to play a scene where he was taped to a chair and was beaten up; while filming this scene the chair tipped over and Clooney hit his head on the floor.

7. Jackie Chan in “Armor of God”

Jackie Chan is an actor who knows all about injuries on set, as he does his own stunts. While filming “Armor of God” the actor fell when jumping from a ledge to a tree. He broke his skull, which now has a permanent hole, and he suffered slight hearing loss in his right ear. He was close to death; this on-set accident was one of the most hazardous of his career.

8. Jane Seymour in “Harry Wild”

Jane Seymore fractured her left kneecap as a product of a fall as she sprinted across a bridge while filming in Ireland. She was unable to move it for several weeks but continued working on the set.

9. Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones 5”

The 78-year-old actor suffered a shoulder injury during a fight scene in his recent “Indiana Jones” film. He needed physical therapy to recover after the incident.

10. Jaimie Alexander in “Thor: The Dark World”

Jaimie Alexander was another actress who slipped and fell. On this occasion, Jaimie fell down a metal staircase while filming “Thor: The Dark World”. She herniated a disk in her back, chipped several vertebrae and dislocated her shoulder. She previously had broken her nose while filming “Blindspot”.