5 Iconic Movie Scenes That Almost Killed Their Stars

We all know what it's like to be sitting on the edge of your seat during a particular scene, just waiting to see how our favorite character was going to get out of the life-or-death situation.

It's nerve-wracking, but we can always take a breather and remember that they were never in any real danger. But that's not always the case.

Here are some of the most famous scenes that almost cost stars their lives, but were kept in anyways!

Back To The Future: Part 3

Did you find yourself short of breath while watching this scene? So did Michael J. Fox.

While at first the actor tried to film the scene while standing on a box, it just wasn't convincing enough. He did one take without it, but didn't realize how long the scene would take, and ended up passing out for 30 seconds.

The Wizard of Oz

Sure, by our standard, the Wicked Witch of the West's smoke trick wasn't too impressive, but it was pretty cool special effects at the time.

While it may not have been witchcraft, the smoke effect brought it's own evil. The petroleum in the product caught flame from some sparks and set Margaret Hamilton on fire, giving her severe burns.

Rocky IV

There were some hard knocks going back and forth between Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren, but the last one that landed on 'Rocky' was no act.

Stallone had asked Lundgren to give him all he had for it to look real, and the professional martial artist obliged. Stallone went down, and ended up in intensive care for eight days with a swollen heart!

You think there would be better safety protocols on set, but these next examples prove otherwise!

Gangs Of New York

Daniel Day-Lewis is a notorious method actor, and in order to capture the feeling that his cold-blooded character would have experienced, he wore only clothes from the 1800's in the winter while filming.

Eventually, he developed severe pneumonia from this habit and the doctors said he would have to undergo treatment. He actually refused, since there was no treatment in the time that the period the movie was being shot in.

After trying to muscle through it, his condition began to deteriorate during filming and he eventually agreed to take the medicine.

Police Story

In case you didn't know, Jackie Chan is a bad ass. The actor insists on doing all his own stunts in his films, which means all those times that you have seen his character do something crazy, just remember that was actually him, and not some double.

In his career his has suffered all types of injuries, including broken bones, contusions, and large cuts. His death-defying jump in Police Story was no different, and the star ended up cracking two vertebrae, badly burning his hands, and even dislocated his pelvis!

Share with someone who never knew their favorite movie nearly cost someone their life!