10 Actors Who Didn't Realise They Were Seconds Away From Disaster

There's a reason Ed Harris often refuses to even discuss the ordeal of bringing James Cameron's The Abyss to life, and it's largely down to the fact that he didn't have what you'd call the most enjoyable shoot.

It's been said that during a scene which involved Harris' character of Virgil "Bud" Brigman running out of oxygen underwater, instead of just allowing the actor to act out the moment, Cameron decided to ensure the star's oxygen ran out for realsies to capture a more authentic performance.

So, what at first seemed like just another scene quickly turned into an unexpected battle to survive for Harris and ultimately led to him whacking the director in the face upon eventually resurfacing and hearing what had happened.

All in all, it's come as little surprise to hear that Harris would spontaneously burst into tears throughout shooting. Between this and being genuinely submerged under water whilst trapped inside of a deep-suit, it's a surprise he didn't thump Cameron daily.