Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · September 27, 2025 · Entertainment

Hollywood's Most Dangerous Stunts: Stars Who Almost Didn't Make It

Tom Holland allegedly cracked his head after suffering a fall on set at Leavesden Studios in Watford (pictured on set last month)

STUNT GOES WRONG: Tom Holland Rushed to Hospital After Film Set Accident

The latest star to fall victim to a stunt gone wrong is none other than 29-year-old British heartthrob Tom Holland, who was rushed to hospital after a harrowing accident on the set of his upcoming Marvel movie. Sources close to the production revealed that filming had been suspended for several weeks while Tom recovers from his concussion.

But Tom's not alone in this club! Several A-list stars have had their share of on-set mishaps over the years, and we've got the juicy details!

Sylvester nearly died during the making of sports drama Rocky IV after he was badly injured by Dolph Lundgren - who played Rocky's nemesis Ivan Drago in the 1985 film ¿ when a fight scene went badly wrong

Sylvester Stallone's Rocky IV Near-Death Experience

We can't even begin to describe the terror that Sylvester Stallone must have felt when he was almost killed by Dolph Lundgren during the filming of Rocky IV. According to Sly himself, he suffered a severely bruised heart after being punched by Lundgren in a fight scene gone wrong.

"I was talking to angels," Sly quipped in an interview, recalling the terrifying experience. "In the first round, where he knocked me down, that is for real. He pulverized me and I did not feel it at that moment but later that night my heart started to swell."

Things went wrong for Isla while filming a high-stakes movie stunt in the heist thriller Now You See Me

Dolph Lundgren himself weighed in on the incident, saying, "All I did was obey orders. He was the boss. I did what he told me." When asked about Sly's health during filming, Dolph revealed that the producer had given him two weeks off after Sly was hospitalized for nine days.

Isla Fisher's Houdini-Style Mishap

Australian actress Isla Fisher had a harrowing experience while filming Now You See Me. During a high-stakes stunt scene where she performed an escape from a water-filled tank, things went awry when her chains got stuck to the bottom of the tank.

Fraser starred in the Stephen Sommers-directed period piece, which came out in May 1999

Despite repeatedly practicing the stunt, Isla's desperate struggles and cries for help were misinterpreted as acting by the camera crew! "No one wants to go in a swimming costume," she joked about the ordeal. But we can bet she was not laughing at the time!

Brendan Fraser's Almost Fatal Choking Incident

In an interview with Kelly Clarkson, Brendan Fraser revealed that he had come close to death while filming The Mummy back in 1999. During a hanging scene where he was choked out by a stuntman, Brendan described the terrifying experience: "I was standing on my toes like this, with the rope around my neck... And then the next thing I knew my elbow was in my ear, the world was sideways, there was gravel in my teeth and everyone was really quiet."

Hugh has been playing Wolverine since the first X-Men film in 2000. And on the set of the very first film, he damaged his ear in a collision with a camera

When asked how he felt during the ordeal, Brendan quipped, "Thanks, I think?! I wanna go home!" Talk about a close call!

Hugh Jackman's Wolverine Woes

Who knew being Wolverine could be so painful? Hugh Jackman suffered an ear injury while filming the first X-Men movie back in 2000. He also had his, ahem, "intimate area" caught in a harness during a wire stunt.

Natalie was left in agony after she 'dislocated a rib' on the set of Black Swan - because producers couldn't afford an on-site medic

In an interview with Yahoo, Hugh revealed that initially no one noticed the mishaps: "I screamed so much, and they kept going because they figured it was me primal-yell emoting."

Michelle Yeoh's Crouching Tiger Mishap

Hong Kong action star Michelle Yeoh is known for performing her own stunts. However, during filming of Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she suffered a nasty injury: a torn ACL.

The actress recalled the incident in an interview, saying, "If you watch the movie you see me walking slowly... That's because I had a big brace under those baggy trousers." Ouch!

Daniel Craig's James Bond Bites Back

James Bond star Daniel Craig has had his fair share of on-set injuries. During filming of Casino Royale, he was clocked in the face so hard that he lost two front teeth! Talk about a Bond-worthy injury.

After being rushed to the hospital and then to a dentist in London for emergency dental work, Daniel returned to set wearing a mouthguard for all future fight scenes.

Natalie Portman's Black Swan Pain

Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman suffered through eight hours of dance training per day while filming Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. But little did she know that the grueling regimen would take its toll on her body – and she ended up dislocating a rib!

In an interview with David Letterman, Natalie recounted the agonizing experience: "I injured a rib... I like dislocated a rib, it sort of went under another one... When you get lifted, it just sort of went under."

But what makes this incident even more shocking is that producers couldn't afford to hire an on-site medic!

As we can see from these incidents, being a Hollywood star isn't all glamour and glory. Sometimes, the risks taken for the sake of art can be deadly – literally! But hey, at least it makes for some juicy gossip, right?