Remind us never to take up acting
(movie) May the grace of the Valar protect you.
Welcome to watchmojo.com
And today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 actors who nearly died on set
(movie) Aren't you afraid you're going to get killed?
For this list we've picked the most dramatic examples of actors or actresses
who have come close to death on TV or movie sets.
but were fortunately able to avoid it.
(movie) And if you cut him down we will give you... ten percent.
We've excluded brave stunt-doubles as they've gone into the profession knowing what they signed up for.
Number 10: Jackie Chan - Armor of God.
This actor is known for performing his own stunts; and he took it to the next level when a particular one
caused him to fall over sixteen feet from a tree.
For Armor of God, while attempting to jump from a wall toward a branch, Chan landed hard...
and in the process, his skull collided with a rock. This pushed some bone into his brain which required
surgery to remove. Everyone's favorite martial artist still has a hole in his head; though it has been filled with a plastic plug.
Luckily, Chan seemingly escaped the incident without lasting brain damage.
Although, he did think staring in the Rush Hour sequels was a good idea.
Number 9: Isla Fisher - Now You See Me.
(movie) Okay Los Angeles are we ready to end this thing?
Remember when escapologist and magician Henley Reeves pretends to be stuck in a tank of water as piranhas pour in?
(movie) A tank full of flesh-eating piranhas will fall from above. A lady has to have handcuffs, right girls?
Well it turns out pretending to be stuck and actually being stuck look very similar.
During the filming of this Now You See Me scene, actress Isla Fisher banged on the glass to tell the cast and crew she was stuck...
but since that's what her character was supposed to do, no one thought much of it.
(movie) HELP!!!
Thankfully, she managed to free herself in time.
Practical effects shouldn't need to be this real. How about a little movie magic?
(movie) Whoever thought of this is a sick sadist.
Number 8: Kate Winslet - Titanic.
Few things are scarier than a near drowning incident
While Viggo Mortensen's near drowning in a river during filming of The Lord of the Rings was harrowing.
Imagine having to run from a giant wave.
(movie) Jack! Rose!
During the Titanic scene in question, Kate Winslet caught her coat on a gate and got pulled underwater.
(movie) It's stuck! It's stuck!
James Cameron continues to dismiss the idea that she was in any real danger...
(movie) Help please! Please!
claiming they only let her think she was going to drown. He also claims to know what he is talking about because he's almost
drown on many occasions.
Okay, lets put this incident aside for a second and ask ourselves why does James Cameron keep nearly drowning?
(movie) Got it! Go! Go Rose! Go! Go!
Number 7: Jaimie Alexander - Thor: The Dark World
(movie) All yours.
Asgardians are pretty hard to kill...
(movie) Betray her and I'll kill you.
Lady Sif is no different; yet, the Sif actress was defeated by the most humble of foes in the second Thor flick... a flight of stairs.
(movie) You might want to take the stairs to the left.
After tripping over in heels, Jaimie Alexander chipped eleven vertebrae, knocked out her left shoulder, slipped a spinal disc, and tore a rhomboid.
(movie) You're welcome.
Don't worry though. She was largely healed and back to filming within a month.
(movie) Good. Let's go.
Is she going to appear in any more Thor sequels? Well that may depend on whether they build stair-lifts between the nine realms.
(movie) I am Odin. King of Asgard. Protector of the Nine Realms.
(movie) Woah! Ho! Ho!
Number 6: Michael J. Fox - Back to the Future Part III.
The Back to the Future series isn't known for its realism. The time traveling car and flying skateboards ruin that.
(movie) Catch it! Yes! Yes!
Yet, one scene of trilogy was all too real for lead Michael J. Fox.
(movie) 'bout time we had a hangin'.
In the series final installment, Marty McFly is captured by bandits and hung with a noose until the doc rescues him.
If McFly's squirming looks genuine, it's because the actor really was being hung. He even passed out for half a minute before he was saved.
(movie) But it's good to see you Marty.
Number 5: Johnny Depp - The Lone Ranger.
(movie) Greetings noble spirit horse!
The Lone Ranger already had to suffer being panned by audiences and critics.
(movie) I am Tonto of the Comanche.
But imagine how much hate it would've received if it had been the cause of Johnny Depp's demise.
During one horseback riding scene, Depp's saddle slipped.
(movie) But I can not decide whether this horse is stupid... or pretending to be stupid.
Johnny held onto the horse's mane before letting go and falling in front of the horse. Luckily, the horse hooves just missed his head.
Meaning the world's sexiest hipster received only minor wounds from the fall.
(movie) Somethings very wrong with that horse.
Obviously, Depp survived and the only thing the film did any permanent damage to was his career.
(Behind The Scenes) I'd save that the positive thing is my coccyx didn't take it.
Number 4: Jason Statham - The Expendables 3.
You'd feel pretty safe hanging out with the Terminator, Rambo, and the Old Spice power guy, wouldn't you?
(movie) We came in this thing together, we goin' leave here together. Absolutely. You hear me? Cheers!
In fact, when these guys are together, the biggest fear might be that the continent they're on could run out of protein.
(movie) That guy's got more muscle than the cartel king.
Yet, Jason Statham did nearly die doing a stunt for The Expendables 3.
(movie) How much we getting payed for this? Not enough.
While driving a truck, the brakes gave out and the actor drove off a cliff into the black sea.
(movie) Go right!
The transporters driving may have let him down, but fortunately his expert level diving skills helped him escape the wreckage and swim to shore.
(movie) You alright? Yup.
Number 3: Aaron Paul - Breaking Bad.
(TV show) When were you going to tell me?
Did you know Jesse Pinkman was supposed to be killed off in the first season of Breaking Bad?
(TV show) I'm your partner, man! You should've told me...
The idea was ditched early on because... you know, Jesse's awesome.
(TV show) Bad ass from what I hear.
But, the writers may never have had the chance to save Jesse if Aaron Paul wasn't a perfectionist.
(TV show) Yeah, bitch!
In episode six of the first season, Paul asked to change the position where he was standing.
(TV show) I get it now.
This was very lucky, because a boulder fell down off the roof of an RV and landed exactly where Aaron had been during the filming of the scene.
(TV show) It's too risky, kay? I mean we're making money. Why can't you just be
(TV show) satisfied with the way it is?
(TV show) Oh, come on!
Number 2: Tom Hanks - Cast Away.
(movie) Hello? Anybody?!
Tragedy nearly struck when actor, and generally nice bloke, Tom Hanks cut himself on the set of this adventure drama.
While only a minor cut, it quickly became infected.
(movie) Help me! Help! Right here, right here!
When he finally went to the hospital, a doctor told him the cut could poison his blood so Hank's was kept in the hospital.
(movie) We live and we die by time, and we ...
This incident set filming back three weeks; but, Hanks fully recovered.
(movie) I knew... somehow... that I had to stay alive.
We're certainly glad he didn't die. Who would break the bad news to Wilson?
(movie) You're okay, okay. Ugh.
Before we get to number one, here are some honorable mentions.
(movie) Shit.
(movie) Haha! His neck did not break!
(movie) You will rescue Peeta at the earliest opportunity or you will find another mockingjay.
(movie) Every man has got a breaking point. You and I have them. Walter Kurtz has reached his, and very obviously, he has gone insane.
Number 1: Tom Cruise - The Last Samurai.
The Last Samurai is about as close to two hours of pure sword porn as a film can get.
Combine this with the fact that Tom Cruise likes to do his own stunts and it seems like he was bound to get hurt on its set.
In one scene, Cruise and his Japanese co-star were seated on mechanical horses. These two horses were hurdled towards
each other, and his fellow actor's sword missed Cruise's neck by an inch, thanks to his martial arts skills.
(movie) Close enough for a sword.
Still, that was relatively tame. Another fight scene featuring four attackers apparently had seventy (70) instances in which Cruise could've been wounded.
(movie) I should've died so many times before...
Do you agree with our list? What near death experiences caught your attention?
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(TV show) Hey, no, no, hey, it's, it's not that man. It's just, you know, I don't do business that way.