Werner Herzog is an artist's artist; you know, in the sense that he'd rather go blind than compromise the vision for one of his films. As a result of his unique approach to the craft of movie-making, though, his entire body of work is littered with insane incidents, all of which he's been at the centre of - fueled by passionate dedication to the craft and some cosmic pull towards the bizarre. Lesser directors might value moral, health, or logic more than their own artistic ambitions. Not Herzog. This guy's awesome body of work speaks for itself. Would any of it have been possible if he were not insane, though? Maybe... but we wouldn't have been able to put together this list of 5 of the most insane incidents to have occurred around him, that's for sure.
5. Herzog Gets Shot With Air Rifle, Refuses To Stop Interview
During the opening moments of an interview with British film critic Mark Kermode, promoting his film Grizzly Man, a loud whistling noise is heard. It ends as it reaches Herzog. Herzog jumps slightly, then asks calmly: "What was that?" He'd just been shot randomly with an air rifle. Herzog didn't want the film crew to track the perp down, either because... well, these things happen, apparently. Rather than going immediately to hospital, he insisted on completing the interview - with a bloody wound on his abdomen. Dude's definitely got his priorities straight. He intelligently and assuredly discusses his film, attempting to calm those around him by declaring: "It's not a significant bullet." Mad people can still feel pain, right?