6 Movie Scenes Where Actors Were Really Injured and Kept Filming

Movie violence is usually a careful illusion, built from padding, choreography and a lot of takes. Every so often, though, something goes wrong in front of the camera, and the pain you see is not acting.

What makes these moments interesting is what happened next. In each case below, the performer kept going, or the injured take ended up in the finished film. Here are six well documented examples.

Viggo Mortensen Breaks His Toes in The Two Towers

In the scene where Aragorn finds the burned remains of an Uruk-hai camp, he kicks a helmet and lets out a howl. Mortensen really did kick that helmet, and he broke two toes in the process. The scream you hear is genuine.

Director Peter Jackson reportedly kept the take because it looked so raw. The moment became one of the film’s most quoted behind the scenes stories, and it shows how much of that trilogy’s physical work was done without shortcuts.

Leonardo DiCaprio Bleeds Through the Dinner Scene in Django Unchained

During the tense dinner table sequence, DiCaprio’s character Calvin Candie slams his hand down in a rage. DiCaprio accidentally struck a glass and cut his hand badly enough that it bled. He didn’t break character, and the cameras kept rolling.

Quentin Tarantino used that take, and the blood you see smeared in the scene was real. Kerry Washington, who shared the shot, has said she was aware of the injury as it happened. It’s often cited as a case where an actor’s commitment turned an accident into a stronger moment.

Tom Cruise Fractures His Ankle in Mission: Impossible Fallout

While shooting a rooftop chase in London in 2017, Cruise jumped from one building to another and hit the side of the second structure. He broke his ankle. The footage of him pulling himself up and limping out of frame stayed in the final cut of the 2018 film.

The injury did halt production for a while, with reports putting the delay at roughly two months. Cruise eventually returned to complete the film, including more demanding stunts. Few blockbuster leads have let an audience see a real injury this clearly.

Sylvester Stallone Lands in the Hospital After Rocky IV

For the sparring scenes in Rocky IV, Stallone asked Dolph Lundgren to hit for real rather than pull his punches. One blow to the chest caused Stallone’s heart to swell, and he was rushed to a hospital. He reportedly spent about nine days there in intensive care.

Stallone recovered and returned to finish the movie, which came out in 1985. The ordeal has since become part of the film’s legend. It also explains why the fight scenes carry such heavy, believable impact.

Ellen Burstyn Hurts Her Back in The Exorcist

In a scene from the 1973 horror classic, Burstyn’s character is thrown across the room by her possessed daughter. A stunt harness pulled her too hard, and she landed hard on her tailbone. Her cry of pain is real, and director William Friedkin kept it in the film.

Burstyn has said the injury left her with lasting back trouble. She stayed on the production and completed her role. The moment remains a frequently cited example of the physical toll behind classic horror filmmaking.

Daniel Craig Loses Teeth During a Casino Royale Fight

Craig’s first turn as James Bond in 2006 was known for its brutal, hands on action. During one fight scene, he was reportedly struck in the face and had teeth knocked out. He received dental treatment and returned to the set.

The production carried on without major changes to the schedule, and the scene is part of the film’s gritty style. Craig’s willingness to take real hits helped set the tone for his run as Bond.