Ever had one of those moments watching a film where you find yourself thinking, “Wait… that looked a bit too real”? Well, sometimes it is. From bruises and cuts to actual injuries, many actors have been injured right in the middle of shooting—and rather than replacing the footage, directors would just leave those takes. The outcome? Movie magic with some real pain. Here are nine crazy accidents that passed through the editing room and ended up in the movies we all love.
9. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mirror Smash – Nightcrawler (2014)
In one of his most frenzied performances, Gyllenhaal’s character loses his mind and punches a bathroom mirror. Trouble is, Jake actually punched the glass, breaking it and severely cutting his hand. He had to have stitches afterwards, but the bloody take remained in the movie. That raw energy you observe? 100% authentic.
8. Gianni Russo’s Brutal Fight – The Godfather (1972)
James Caan’s Sonny didn’t hold back at all when beating up Carlo. Russo, the actor who played Carlo, later revealed that Caan had gotten a little carried away, cracking him a few ribs and chipping an elbow. The beating you see on the screen? That’s method acting through shattered bones.
7. Ellen Burstyn’s Agony-Filled Fall – The Exorcist (1973)
The classic horror film is notorious for on-set disasters, but Ellen Burstyn’s mishap is particularly ghoulish. During one scene, she’s dragged back by a wire rig—except the tug threw her to the floor so violently it left her spine seriously damaged. Her scream in the film is no acting; it’s all pain.
6. Martin Sheen’s Glass Punch – Apocalypse Now (1979)
The first scene where Sheen gets lost in a hotel room is creepy for a reason. Under deep in character (and battling demons of his own), Sheen broke a mirror, cutting open his hand. Crew members stopped filming, but Sheen persevered, converting real pain into one of the movie’s most memorable scenes.
5. Brad Pitt’s Mythic Injury – Troy (2004)
Sometimes irony writes itself. While playing Achilles, Pitt actually tore his Achilles tendon during a fight sequence. Production stalled for months while he healed, but the accident gave this Greek legend an all-too-fitting twist of fate.
4. Viggo Mortensen’s Famous Scream – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
In a moment where Aragorn thinks his friends are dead, Mortensen kicked a helmet in anger—and broke two of his toes. Instead of breaking character, he released a guttural scream so natural and intense that Peter Jackson liked it so much he chose to keep it.
3. Stormtrooper’s Door Mishap – Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Not all accidents that happen during filming are tragic—some are comedy gems. During one scene, a Stormtrooper knocks his head on a doorway as he marches in. The error was left in, eventually becoming a classic Easter egg. George Lucas even put in a sound effect during the re-release to bring the goof to the spotlight.
2. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bloody Hand – Django Unchained (2012)
At the stressful dinner-table scene, DiCaprio bashed his hand on a glass, breaking it and cutting himself open. Rather than break character, he pushed through, blood spilling all over the place, and completed the scene. Tarantino adored it so much, the take was left intact.
1. Tom Cruise’s Ankle Snap – Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
Cruise has a background of performing his own stunts, and occasionally it does not pay off. In the act of jumping from rooftop to rooftop, he struck the edge incorrectly and broke his ankle. Rather than yell cut, he persevered through the shot, limping away in view. That very instant came to an end the final movie, and filming halted as he recuperated.
So the next time a film scene is too real, you may be correct. At times, the finest performances are not scripted—they’re flukes that had the actors limping, bleeding, or screaming out for real.