Doing stunts in person naturally involves several dangers, especially if you’re going to be hanging from a rope by your neck.
Time continues to treat us well The Mummy 25 years after its release in theaters. The film Stephen Sommers remains one of the great references of adventure cinema, although it almost cost him his neck Brendan FraserAnd it’s not a metaphor.
The actor who gave life to Rick O’Connell In the 1999 film he gave his all on filming, and there were many risky scenes that he personally took on, including the almost execution of his character before being rescued by Eve (Rachel Weisz).
Hanging is a traditional trick in cinema and is usually done with a harness to prevent the actor from saying goodbye prematurely to this world. Another less advisable option is for the subject to stand on tiptoe while they pull the rope, so they always have a point of support on the ground.
But Stephen Sommers didn’t find the first take very realistic, so they went back for a retake and Brendan Fraser was left hanging from the ground for a few moments, with a fairly tight rope. so that, even if it were in contact with the ground, it would hit the ground and pretend to be drowning. So much so that, upon releasing the rope, he collapsed and lost consciousness.
The not-so-fake hanging of Brendan Fraser in The Mummy
In an interview with The Kelly Clarkson Show (through Variety), he actor He recalled how bad it was for him in that situation, although it put him in a very exclusive club of actors who almost gave their lives doing that same type of scene.
The specialist coordinator for The Mummy congratulated him and indicated that Mel Gibson The exact same thing happened to him on the set of Braveheart. But it was not the only one.
Another illustrious almost hanged man from the cinema is the good old Michael J. Fox in Back to the future IIIwith a situation quite similar to that of Brendan Fraser.
Fortunately, the situation was a scare in both cases and Brendan Fraser, Mel Gibson and Michael J. Fox are still with us, although they will surely think twice the next time they want to risk their necks on a set. Did you know this anecdote about The Mummy?
