40+ Actors Who Got Seriously Injured or Risked Their Lives While Filming Movies and TV Shows

As it turns out, being an actor isn’t all about red carpets, mega mansions, and award shows. Indeed, for some stars, acting can be a pretty risky business. Whether it’s breaking a bone, catching a virus, or developing strange habits, these actors came dangerously close to losing it all while working on a production. Join us as we see which actors got seriously injured or risked their lives while they were doing their day job.

Halle Berry – Bruised

In 2020 sports drama Bruised, American actress Halle Berry got a little more than she bargained for. While playing former UFC fighter Jackie Justice, Halle Berry ended up breaking two of her ribs. The star was performing opposite Valentina Shevchenko, a Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian professional mixed martial artist.

During filming, star and director Halle Berry was kicked by her opponent, and it really did damage. She recalls, "The fighter in me stood up and said, 'You just have to keep going.'"

Jackie Chan – Project A

It's surely no surprise that martial arts icon Jackie Chan has injured himself while working. In fact, the Hong Kong action star has broken basically every bone in his body at some stage. He has explained that while filming older movies without big budgets, he would simply do all of his stunts himself.

In martial arts comedy Project A, which Chan also directed, he had to hang from a clock tower. The star did the stunt three times, and landed directly on his neck on his final attempt.

Isla Fisher – Now You See Me

Our next entry is pretty alarming, if we do say so ourselves. While filming 2013 heist flick Now You See Me, actress Isla Fisher had a very close call. While filming an underwater magic trick, Isla's equipment malfunctioned and she feared she was drowning.

Even worse, the assembled cast and crew just thought she was giving a great performance. The actress remembers, "They thought I was being Meryl Streep in the tank - actually, I was drowning!"

Margot Robbie – I, Tonya

Likewise, Australian actress Margot Robbie went through rigorous training to portray champion ice skater Tonya Harding. The star trained five hours a day, five days a week, for five months. At one stage, Margot ended up with a herniated disk in her neck because of the intensive skating.

The star has said, "There were lots of bumps and bruises, lots of blisters. I herniated a disc in my neck. My arms started going numb for a month, but it was the disc getting irritated."