20 actors who were seriously injured while filming

While filming his adventure show, this High School Musical actor contracted a serious bacterial infection in New Guinea. He was airlifted to Australia, where he remained hospitalized for many days. He addressed concerns about his health in an Instagram post later, saying he "bounced back and finished an amazing [three] weeks."

During the filming of The Wizard of Oz, Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West, suffered second-degree burns and third-degree burns on her hands after being engulfed in flames during a scene. "I will return to work on one condition — no more fireworks," she said.

While Tom Hanks filmed the movie Cast Away, which followed a FedEx troubleshooter stranded on an island after his plane crashed in the South Pacific, he was sent to the hospital for "three days with something that ... almost killed me." 

"I got an infection from a cut, and it was eating its way through my leg. I didn't know it. I went to the doctor who took one look and said, 'I have to put you in the hospital because we have to get this infection out of you before it poisons your blood and you die," Hanks recalled.

Isla Fischer recalled the terrifying moment she almost drowned while filming Now You See Me . The actor had to perform a stunt in a cube filled with water; however, her chains got tangled, preventing her from hitting the panic button. "They thought I was being Meryl Streep in the tank," she said. "Actually, I was drowning."

While on the set of Gangs of New York, Daniel Day-Lewis caught pneumonia after refusing to wear a winter coat in the cold weather.

Halle Berry suffered two broken ribs while filming the movie Bruised, which hit Netflix servers in 2020. During an interview with NPR, Berry discussed her decision to continue filming, saying she "acquired ... the mindset of a fighter." She added that a "fighter's mindset is [to] never stop."

Sylvester Stallone told his Rocky co-star to forget the stage blocking during their big fight scene and to go with the flow to capture a better shot. “For the first minute of the fight, it is going to be a free-for-all," he told The Hollywood Reporter. Consequently, the actor suffered an injury from his "heart" hitting "against [my] ribcage," leaving him in the ICU for nearly 10 days.

Michelle Yeoh is no stranger to performing her own stunts; however, when filming the first big action sequence of her 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the actor tore her ACL, which required surgery in the middle of the production. “If you watch the movie, you see me walking slowly,” she said. That's because I had a big brace under those baggy trousers. It took me three months to recover [and] be ready for the last fight sequence."

James Bond actor Daniel Craig has been injured several times while filming projects, including losing his two front teeth in Casino Royale.

Legendary actor Tom Cruise told Graham Norton that he knew he broke his ankle "instantly" while filming Mission Impossible - Fallout. However, the actor kept the show going to avoid repeating the stunt.

While filming Black Swan, Natalie Portman's rib was dislocated during one of the dance scenes by another cast member who held her in the air by her torso. They later filmed a moment where Portman sees a physical therapist for her pain; however, the director instructed her to stay in character while they filmed.

Quantico actor Priyanka Chopra suffered a concussion after falling on her way to film a stunt she had been training for. "I was supposed to be saving someone, as usual. And I was wearing rubber boots, it was raining and there was plastic on the floor, and I slipped on that. Can you imagine, after all the action I do, that's how I get a concussion?" she said. 

Colin Firth revealed that he developed headaches, a pinched nerve, and a stammer after filming The King's Speech, in which he played George VI. "... it was very peculiar," he described the experience.

Since Ashton Kutcher is a serious actor, the performer went method while filming Jobs, the 2013 biographical drama about Apple creator Steve Jobs. According to Kutcher's partner, Mila Kunis, she said the actor ended up in the hospital twice with "pancreatitis" due to Kutcher's determination only to eat fruit — specifically grapes.

Thanks to special effects and CGI, editors were able to cover Jeremy Renner's cast in Tag after he broke his arm and elbow only three days into filming.

Margot Robbie appeared in the 2017 American biographical sports film I, Tonya, which followed the life and career of figure skater Tonya Harding. The actor apparently trained so intensely that she "herniated a disc in my neck" while shooting the movie. "My arms started going numb for a month, but it was the disc getting irritated. And then I properly herniated it, and I was very aware when that happened. It's really painful," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Gary Oldman revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he got "serious nicotine poisoning" after smoking Winston Churchill's favorite cigars for "10 or 12 takes a scene" during the Darkest Hour.

The Gossip Girl alum said her hand turned to "feta cheese" while filming The Rhythm Section. Production on the film had to be paused so the actress's hand could heal after she "collided with [Jude Law's] elbow and broke some things."

George Clooney suffered a back injury in 2005 while filming Syriana, the movie that earned the performer his Oscar. During his interview with Rolling Stone, he told the publication that he was in so much pain that he started to think, "I may have to do something drastic about this."

Despite wearing a safety harness while filming a stunt for Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Dylan O'Brien was thrown from a moving vehicle before being struck by another. He suffered a concussion and serious damage to his face.