10 Actors Who Almost Died Because Of Intense Method Acting

3. Sylvester Stallone Asks Dolph Lundgren To Knock Him Out For Real; Ends Up Hospitalised - Rocky IV

Stallone Dolph Lundgren Rocky IV
MGM-UA

Sylvester Stallone isn't the sort of actor who gets by using stunt doubles (that's for amateurs), so when it came to the climatic fight scene at the end of Rocky IV, he asked fellow actor Dolph Lundgren to actually try to knock him out. You know, so it looked super real and such.

If you've seen Dolph Lundgren, that sort of request can't have come easily - he looks like he's made of a rock or something. What happened next can't have been totally unexpected. Lundgren hit Stallone with such force that his pericardial sac swelled up and began pushing against his heart, which is never a good thing.

Stallone was rushed to hospital as a result, fearing death, where he was placed in intensive care for nine days. The impact made by the punch was later compared to the injury expected from the likes of a horrific car accident; so, yes, Lundgren's fist pretty much acted with the force of a car crash. If that ain't method on Stallone's part, what is?

Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.