The Weirdest Movie Set Incidents

Michael Bay attacked on “Transformers 4” set
While shooting “Transformers: Age of Extinction” in Hong Kong the week of Oct. 14, 2013, director Michael Bay and crew were accosted by a disgruntled local vendor who had earlier attempted to extort money from the big budget production. According to Bay's blog, the unidentified man reportedly showed up on set and attacked Bay with an air-conditioning unit! Bay managed to disarm the attacker before the man and his companions were subdued by police and security. The director, cast and crew managed to escape unharmed.

Bay is no stranger to on-set incidents. During the production of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” an extra was gravely injured during a vehicle stunt when a cable pulling a car snapped and struck her in the head. The resulting lawsuit saw studio Paramount settle with the injured extra for $18 million.

“The Exorcist” Curse
The productions of classic horror movies like “Poltergeist” and “The Exorcist” have been the source of countless creepy rumours and urban legends over the years. In the case of the latter, those legends might actually be true. After a mysterious studio fire tore through the set of “The Exorcist” (destroying everything except for the room of the possessed main character), director William Friedkin brought in priests to bless the set, as well as the cast and crew.

However, the religious blessings didn’t prevent stars Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair from being injured later in the production. Both actresses suffered serious back injuries during the shooting of the possession scenes.

Brandon Lee dies while filming “The Crow”
Among the most tragic and strange movie incidents was the untimely death of Brandon Lee on the set of the 1994 action movie “The Crow.” Tragedy struck in the middle of production when Lee, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, was shot by an improperly loaded gun that was meant to shoot blanks. He died several hours later.

Producers opted to complete the film after Lee’s death, using body doubles and special effects trickery. “The Crow” went on to be a big box office success that spawned several sequels, but it will forever be associated with Lee’s tragic death.

Brad Pitt tears his Achilles tendon while playing Achilles in “Troy”
What are the chances that an actor playing legendary hero Achilles – whose one weak spot was his Achilles tendon – would actually tear said tendon during a movie? Not very high, but that’s exactly what happened to Brad Pitt on the set of the 2004 epic “Troy.” The physically demanding role put Pitt in the role of the famous Greek warrior, but despite lengthy fight training, the actor injured his foot after improperly landing a jump. The torn tendon sidelined Pitt for several weeks and proved that having an Achilles' heel is a very real thing.

The radioactive set of “The Conqueror”
Word to the wise: If you’re going to shoot movie on location, don’t do it downwind of a nuclear weapons test site. The 1956 John Wayne epic “The Conqueror” did just that, and as a result, 91 members of the cast and crew (almost half of 220 people who worked on the film) developed some type of cancer and 46 died, including Wayne and director Dick Powell.

To make matters worse, producer Howard Hughes may have had irradiated dirt from the Utah filming location shipped to Hollywood for use in studio-shot scenes. “In a group this size, you'd expect only 30-some cancers to develop,” Dr. Robert C. Pendleton, director of radiological health at the University of Utah, told People magazine in 1980. “With 91, I think the tie-in to their exposure on the set of ‘The Conqueror’ would hold up in a court of law.”

Robert Downey Jr. breaks Halle Berry’s arm
Sometimes actors can get too wrapped up in a role and the results can often lead to injury. That’s what happened on the set of the 2003 thriller “Gothika,” when Downey’s character had to grab Berry’s by the arm and accidentally broke it.

“It was in a scene that didn't involve any stunts, Robert Downey Jr. twisted my arm the wrong way and it just... broke,” Berry recalled in an interview. Filming was delayed by eight weeks while her arm healed. The actress says she and Downey are still friends, but rumours abound that bad blood exists between the two because of the incident.

Berry hasn’t had much luck when it comes to on-set injuries. The actress was also hurt on the sets of “Die Another Day” (nearly being blinded in one eye by an explosion) and “Catwoman” (struck in the head by a lighting prop).

Wicked Witch seriously burned during “Wizard of Oz” shoot
Hollywood sets are much safer now than they used to be. Stunt doubles and visual effects minimize the risk of accident and ensure that people don't get hurt. The golden age of cinema was a little different though, and nowhere was that more obvious than on the set of the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz."

During the scene in Munchkinland at the beginning of the movie, the Wicked Witch of the West arrives to put the scare into Dorothy and the Munchkins before disappearing in an impressive ball of flame. An impressive effect for the time, but actress Margaret Hamilton suffered second- and third-degree burns after the trapped door that was supposed to shield her from the fireball failed to open in time. She was rushed to hospital and took nearly six weeks to recover before she was well enough to continue filming.

Jim Caviezel struck by lightning while playing Jesus
An actor who takes on the role of Jesus knows they risk angering devout Christians with their depiction, but nobody expects to face the actual wrath of God for playing his son JC.

Jim Caviezel experienced that first hand when he played Christ in director Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion of the Christ." While filming the Sermon on the Mount scene, Caviezel and assistant director Jan Michelini were both struck by lightning (Michelini was actually struck by lightning earlier in production as well). Neither was seriously hurt, but the unexpected force of nature must have given both of them second thoughts about the production.

"I was lit up like a Christmas tree!" Caviezel told CBN. "I looked like I went to see Don King's hair stylist."