Star Wars is a franchise that requires quite a lot of physical dedication and commitment from its actors. Since the series has abundant action, fighting sequences and stunts are nothing new. Unfortunately, however, actors can often suffer collateral damage because of this.
Injuries on set are quite common in action films. Actors can accidentally get hurt for the aesthetic and authenticity of the project, and are forced to be bedridden or on the sidelines. Sometimes they bounce back quickly, and the show goes on after a small hiccup. Other times, filming is forced to be postponed until the star is able to come back swinging again.
One incident involving Harrison Ford and a hydraulic door became quite well-known. However, many fans might not know that there was another casualty to this prop.
Harrison Ford’s Mishap on Star Wars: The Force Awakens
J.J. Abrams, the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, gave an interview with Vanity Fair, where he talked about the famous bloody incident on the sets of the movie. When it comes to this film series, it is safe to say that it knows how to make the viewer feel like they are in their reality, and part of its believability comes from the props. On the set of the 2015 film, there was a mechanized, hydraulic door that added to this effect.
Unfortunately, during a normal day of filming, this door malfunctioned and came down—on Harrison Ford‘s foot. As the director revealed during the interview, the injury that the actor had sustained was quite serious. His foot seemed to be pointing in all the wrong directions, and his joint was forced into a 90-degree angle.
“He’s toughing it out,” Abrams said of Ford. “He’s a super human being and he’s literally lying there making jokes.”
Despite this, Ford was not fazed. Abrams revealed that the actor was still being his chipper self, chatting and joking around with the cast and crew as they were figuring out how to get him out of the situation. During this struggle, however, something more happened that very few know about.
J.J. Abrams Also Got Hurt
When the door came down on Harrison Ford’s leg, there were many who were trying to lift it off him so that he could get free, and it would seem that J.J. Abrams was one of them. During the interview, the director revealed that as he was trying to lift the door up, he ended up hearing a very unsettling ‘pop’ sound from his body. One that got him concerned enough to go to a doctor. Upon his visit, Abrams was informed that, in an attempt to save Ford’s already broken foot, he had also broken his own back.
Despite such a serious injury, the director kept it to himself. He kept his brace hidden under the covers of his clothing, and the pain of his injury, hidden from his co-workers. Ironically enough, it would seem that the actor healed much quicker than the director.
“Harrison Ford, from across the stage, sprints at me faster than I will ever run,” the filmmaker said. “And he’s like, ‘Hey J.J.!’ And I’m like, ‘Hi, Harrison Ford.’ Ooh it hurts to talk that way. I felt like the most nebbishy Jewish director ever.”
Where Abrams was struggling to keep his back straight, Ford had already begun sprinting around the set.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is available for streaming on Disney+.
