On-Screen Injuries That Really Happened

Channing Tatum improvised the scene where he broke the mirror with his head, doing so with such intensity that he actually cut his forehead on the glass in the process.

In the scene in Nightcrawler (2014) where Jake Gyllenhaal is talking to himself in the mirror, the mirror actually cracked and cut his hand. He had to get 14 stitches because of it.

In the film's opening scene, Martin Sheen improvised much of his actions and was actually fairly drunk during it. When he punched the mirror, which was real glass, he severly cut his thumb.

When Mills chases John Doe in the rain, the pain we see on Brad Pitt's face when he falls is genuine; he actually required surgery when his arm went through a car windshield.

When Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) kicks the helmet after thinking Merry and Pippin are dead, Mortensen actually breaks his two toes. It was his fourth attempt doing this kick and the scream we see him let out is real.

Daryl Hannah actually hurt her shoulder during the scene in Blade Runner (1982) where she was running into the truck.

Cary Elwes told Christopher Guest to hit him very hard in the scene where he strikes him. Elwes actually went to the hospital and as a result, production was shut down for a day.

Funny enough, Sylvester Stallone actually suffered MULTIPLE injuries while shooting First Blood (1982), most notably breaking a rib while performing his own stunt during the bottom third of the tree fall.

There is a scene in The Last Samurai (2003) when Cruise is dismounting his horse and the horse actually kicks one of the extras in the 'family jewels'.

In the scene in The Godfather (1972) when Sonny (James Caan) throws Carlo (Gianni Russo) into the garbage can, Russo apparently broke two ribs and cracked his elbow.

During the fight scene between Fred Astaire and Randolph Scott, Astaire - not skilled in movie fight scenes - accidentally bloodied Scott's nose; Astaire was mortified, but Scott remained pointedly nonchalant.

Halle Berry broke her arm filming a scene with Robert Downey Jr. in the hospital interrogation. Downey was supposed to grab her arm and twist, but twisted too hard and the arm snapped. Production was halted for eight weeks.

When leaving Munchkinland, Margaret Hamilton's cape became caught in the platform when the burst of fire appeared. Her make-up heated up, causing second- and third-degree burns on her hands and face as a result.

Malcolm McDowell's eyes were anesthetized for the torture scenes so that he would film for periods of time without too much discomfort. Nevertheless his corneas got repeatedly scratched by the metal lid locks.

The scene when a can is thrown at John Malkovich's head is real. Malkovich expected that no one would be able to hit him on the head with a half-full can of beer from a passing car. Eventually the task fell to John Cusack's writing partner, who nailed it on the first try.

Sylvester Stallone decided he and Dolph Lundgren should really hit each other for their fight, so to increase the intensity. Stallone went to the hospital after realizing Lundgren had hit him so hard in the chest, his heart slammed against his breastbone and began to swell.

When Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) smashes his hand on the dinner table, the blood we see on his hand is real. Leo accidentally crushed a small stemmed glass with his palm and cut through his hand.

Ellen Burstyn received a permanent spinal injury during filming. In the sequence where she is thrown away from her possessed daughter, a harness jerked her hard away from the bed. She fell on her coccyx and screamed in pain.