Top 10 Actor Wipeouts You Actually See In The Movie

“Scent of a Woman” (1992)
Al Pacino earned his only Oscar for “Scent of a Woman,” playing a retired Lieutenant Colonel named Frank Slade. Since the character was blind, Pacino delved deep into the role by visiting a school for the blind. He remained in character off-camera and acted blind by never allowing his eyes to focus. The latter resulted in a genuine accident that was kept in the finished film. While filming in New York City, Pacino walked straight into a metal garbage can and fell to the ground. Luckily, both he and co-star Chris O’Donnell remained in character as the scene added a sense of realism. And that’s why they get paid the big bucks.

“Pineapple Express” (2008)
James Franco is so committed to his roles that he even does some of his own stunts. One scene in “Pineapple Express” has Dale and Saul getting scared by an animal and fleeing through the woods. Dale trips and hits his head on a rock while Saul runs headfirst into a tree. Franco performed this stunt himself, although it didn’t exactly go as planned. A soft pad was screwed to the tree to prevent Franco from hurting himself. Ironically, that pad is exactly what caused his injury. One of the screws wasn’t properly installed and made contact with Franco’s forehead. The actor received a nasty gash and some stitches as a result. It also led Saul to don his now famous headband. Such are the on-the-fly solutions required in filmmaking.

“Camp Rock” (2008)
A Disney Channel movie starring a slew of teen icons, “Camp Rock” sees Joe Jonas playing Shane Gray, the lead singer of a popular band. In one scene, a group of admiring fans spot Shane and give chase. As Shane is running away, he trips and falls into some trees but manages to catch himself with his hands. As you might have guessed, Jonas actually tripped while filming the sequence. Director Matthew Diamond thought it added a nice touch, however, and decided to keep it in the movie. Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that the camera “outruns” Jonas after he falls, causing the camera operator to pan right inorder to get him back in the shot.

“The Outsiders” (1983)
This coming-of-age drama doesn’t make for the lightest of viewings, but it seems like the cast and crew had a good time making it. During the drive-in sequence, Dallas puts his feet up and proceeds to fall out of his chair. This was completely unscripted, and we can tell by the reactions. Diane Lane jumps from the noise of Dallas falling and shows genuine surprise. Meanwhile, C. Thomas Howell looks off-camera to gauge the reaction of the director. Even the elderly woman in the background has herself a little chuckle. We’re surprised they kept it in, but it sure makes for one amusing moment.

“First Blood” (1982)
Sylvester Stallone is such a tough dude that he wanted to perform as many stunts as possible while filming “First Blood.” He might have regretted that decision, though. One famous scene sees Rambo jumping off a cliff and falling through a tree to the ground below. While Stallone did not jump off the cliff, he did fall through the tree himself. Unfortunately, he broke a rib after landing awkwardly on a branch. This can actually be seen in the movie, and Stallone’s yelp of pain was 100% genuine. Audiences may have assumed it was a brilliant bit of acting from Stallone, but in fact, the man was in some unfortunate pain.

“Scrooged” (1988)
“Scrooged” was Bill Murray’s first starring role in four years after his ‘84 drama “The Razor’s Edge” flopped, leaving him both disillusioned and frustrated. Hype was understandably high, and fans did indeed get a great star turn from Murray. They also got him falling on his backside. In a scene walking out of a restaurant, Murray slipped on the wet floor and fell into the doorframe. Ever the professional, the comedian simply stood up, straightened his jacket, and walked out without even looking back. The pratfall ended up making the scene that much funnier.

“The Princess Diaries” (2001)
This is one of those scenes that has accident written all over it. While filming on some bleachers, Anne Hathaway pivots her left foot to turn around. However, her foot slips off the bleacher and the actress goes tumbling straight onto her buttocks. It looks very real and unscripted, and that’s because it was. Everything is genuine here - the fall, Hathaway’s shriek of surprise, and Heather Matarazzo asking if she was Ok. Ever the pro, Hathaway literally laughs it off, remains in character, and prompts Matarazzo to keep the scene going. This is a future Oscar winner we’re talking about.

“Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964)
From chilling horror to cutting comedy, Stanley Kubrick really could do it all. But, in the case of “Dr. Strangelove,” a few laughs came courtesy of actor George C. Scott. In one particular scene, Scott’s General Buck Turgidson trips on the floor, performs a funny little roll, and proceeds to keep talking as if nothing happened. Legend has it that this was a genuine fall that was expertly captured by the camera operator. Scott was a stage-trained actor afterall, and therefore accustomed to rolling with mistakes - quite literally as it turns out.

“Blade Runner” (1982)
The beloved sci-fi film “Blade Runner” features a scene where the replicant Pris, after meeting J.F. Sebastian, stands up, pushes him aside, and runs away. In the role of Pris, Daryl Hannah gave the scene an added little detail that wasn’t found in the original script. While running, Hannah allegedly slipped on the wet ground and ran full tilt into the prop vehicle. Her right arm even went through the very real glass window! Hannah plays it off like a diligent professional and continues the scene without issue. However, the window had actually chipped her elbow in eight places. Hannah still has the scar from the onset tumble to this day.

“The Birdcage” (1996)
Playing drag club owner Armand Goldman, Robin Williams is at his manic best throughout “The Birdcage.” One particularly hectic scene sees Armand panicking over dinner. After taking a swig of wine, Williams carries a pot over to Hank Azaria and slips on the floor, complete with a hilarious “oof!” Williams, remaining in character, says that he’s alright, but he ever-so-briefly “breaks” while yelling at Val. From the loud yelling to the maniacal energy, the entire sequence is quintessential Robin. While definitely a blooper, keeping it in the final product was an absolute must!