10 Bizarre And Shocking Things That Happened On Film & TV Sets

10. Channing Tatum Burns Off The Skin Of His Penis For The Eagle

In 2011, Channing Tatum swapped sweat-soaked tank tops for Roman armour as he took on the starring role in Kevin Macdonald’s historical epic The Eagle. Desperate to be viewed as a serious actor, Tatum threw himself into the role of centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila body and soul. However, only his soul was destined to leave the set unscathed.

The film follows Tatum's character as he embarks on a journey to recover the eagle standard of the missing Ninth Roman Legion, to which his father belonged. With Papa Aquila’s decorative stick always in mind, Marcus repeatedly risks his life, braving violence and the elements to succeed in his quest.

At one point, Marcus decides to drown his adversary, the imaginatively named Seal Prince, in a river. To make the experience of filming in freezing conditions more pleasant for the actors, a mixture of boiling water and cold river water was poured down their suits to keep them warm. Yet, during one of the takes, a crew member forgot to add cold water to the mix, much to the chagrin of Tatum’s genitals. That is how the man who would later become Magic Mike had the skin of his penis burnt off for the sake of a film that received only middling reviews at best.