Action stunt doubles are the professionals most exposed to accidents in the film industry. A paradigmatic example of this danger is David Holmes, Harry Potter’s stunt double in the eight films of the saga. This specialist, who replaced Daniel Radcliffe in risky scenes, was paralyzed for life after an accident.
David Holmes had been Harry Potter’s stunt double since the first film, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’. His resemblance in build to Radcliffe made him ideal for replacing him in dangerous scenes. Unfortunately, in the last of the films, the inherent risk of his profession played a bad trick on him.
The accident of Harry Potter’s stunt double occurred in January 2009. The crew was filming the second part of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’, the last film of the saga. In one of the final scenes, several wizards were facing Voldemort in a deadly battle at Hogwarts.
Throughout the scene, Harry was propelled through the air as a result of an explosion. To recreate this effect, a cable was supposed to pull David Holmes, simulating the shockwave that launched the protagonist into the air.
Unfortunately, an accident caused the cable to propel Harry Potter’s stunt double with too much force, and he crashed into a wall. The impact was so strong that it caused a fracture in his neck, and he was taken to the hospital. He would never move his body from the waist down again.
Since the accident that caused him a lifelong paralysis, David Holmes has dedicated himself to raising awareness about the work of stuntmen. The former stunt double for Harry Potter founded his own production company and has a podcast where he interviews these action specialists.
Holmes also maintains a close friendship with Daniel Radcliffe, as well as with other members of the ‘Harry Potter’ cast. It is common to see him in the company of former colleagues such as Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in the films) or Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom).
The professional activity of action doubles is marked by danger. The case of Harry Potter’s stunt double is not an exception within this profession, which leaves a long list of accidents.
As expected, stunt doubles for movie stars appearing in action films are even more exposed to accidents. Actors like Sylvester Stallone or Vin Diesel, for example, have had to mourn the death of the specialists who replaced them. In Stallone’s case, the deceased’s family filed a lawsuit against the production company of ‘The Expendables.’
Although the worst part of accidents in the film industry falls on the specialists, some stars also suffer the consequences. This is the case of Tom Cruise, who is accustomed to performing his own risky scenes without using a double. The protagonist of films like ‘Mission: Impossible’ or ‘Top Gun’ suffered a painful accident while jumping from a building during a shoot.
When talking about movie stars who have experienced work-related accidents firsthand, the name Brandon Lee immediately comes to mind. The son of the legendary Bruce Lee tragically lost his life in 1993 during the filming of ‘The Crow’. A prop gun loaded with real ammunition caused his death from a gunshot.
A much more recent case of an accidental shooting involving a movie star has been Alec Baldwin’s accident in 2021, which was very similar to Brandon Lee’s case, except in this instance, someone else was the victim. Baldwin accidentally shot and killed the director of photography for ‘Rust,’ Halyna Hutchins.
The film industry is plagued by accidents like the one suffered by Harry Potter’s stunt double. In order to reduce accident rates and protect professionals, training and occupational risk prevention are indispensable. Allocating resources to train workers and implementing relevant measures can make a difference.
[Lodus Global – original article]
[Picture – Lodus Global]
