25 Actors And Actresses That Almost Died While Filming

Actors and actresses are often criticized for making obscene amounts of money while doing what appears to be one of the “easiest” and most desirable jobs in the world. However, if one takes a closer (and unbiased) look into acting, it might not be as easy as it looks and some actors do indeed put themselves in danger more than you might like to think. Whether it is actors who take their performance way too far, plain mistakes with set equipment, or the unpredictable accidents that mess things up, there have been many famous actors and actresses who have almost lost their lives in the name of art. Jackie Chan, for example, smashed his head during a scene that he tried to make as realistic as possible for his dedicated fans and now has to spend the rest of his life with a plastic plate in his head. Kate Winslet spent so many hours in freezing waters while filming Titanic to the point that she suffered severe bouts of pneumonia and influenza due to the rigorous filming conditions. And we’re afraid these are only two of the 25 Actors And Actresses That Almost Died While Filming. I guess it’s not as easy as these actors make it appear after all.


Aaron Paul

25 wSource: imdb.com, Image: Wikipedia

Aaron Paul dodged serious injury or even death during filming of the first season of Breaking Bad when a boulder that was positioned on top of the RV and holding down a tarp was blown off by a strong gust of wind along with the tarp onto the exact spot where Paul was standing moments earlier. The only reason he wasn’t severely injured or killed was because he had asked the director if he could try an alternative take from a different spot.



John Abraham

24 wSource: imdb.com, Image: Wikipedia

In 2012, John Abraham, an Indian actor and model, escaped death while filming a gunfire scene. His costar Anil Kapoor, who played a cop in the film, shot a blank (minus the metallic lead) that was meant to be shot from a minimum distance of fifteen feet, from a distance of only 1.5 feet. The shot burst into flames as planned, but due to the close range, hit Abraham with a greater intensity (almost ten times) than it was supposed to. However, thanks to Kapoor’s bad aim, Abraham did not get hit in the middle of his neck; the bullet simply grazed the left side of it.


Leonardo DiCaprio

23Source: imdb.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org

Leonardo DiCaprio got a little too aggressive during the filming of Django Unchained to the point where he almost killed himself. In the scene where he bangs on the table, he slammed it so hard that he put his hand through the glass. DiCaprio needed medical attention in order to stop the bleeding but before that he demanded they finish the scene.


Margaret Hamilton

22 wSource: imdb.com, Image: Wikipedia

Margaret Hamilton was nearly burned to death on the set of The Wizard of Oz. The actress was sent to the hospital after being severely burned from an explosion that misfired. The intention was to have Hamilton vanish in a giant puff of smoke, but her trapdoor misfired, almost killing her.


Diane Kruger

Source: imdb.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.orgSource: imdb.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org

Quentin Tarantino didn’t want to put Diane Kruger in any more danger than necessary for her choking scene in Inglorious Basterds, so he did the very real strangling himself. Ironically, he didn’t yell cut in time and the beautiful actress ended up unconscious and nearly died of asphyxiation.


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