10 Actors Who Didn't Realise They Were Seconds Away From Disaster
3. Ellen Burstyn, The Exorcist - A Sudden Yank Changes The Mood
Above all else, a director's responsibility when shooting a scene which could be seen as harmful towards a performer on set is to make sure that the actor is completely safe and comfortable in that moment.
If, like Ellen Burstyn did whilst shooting The Exorcist, a star confesses that they feel as though they're in danger, the correct response is to listen and do what needs to be done to ensure said moment is as safe as possible. William Friedkin, however, had a different reaction to this response.
Despite supposedly telling the person yanking Burstyn back with a wire after her character is sent flying by her possessed daughter to not "pull her so hard", the contrary happened. After being assured she'd be safely pulled back during that subsequent take, Burstyn was unexpectedly dragged back so hard that she permanently injured her spine, with this version of the scene finding itself in the finished product.
The actor has gone on record to admit, "I'm not sure that he didn't cancel that behind my back because the guy smashed me into the floor," when discussing Friedkin's order to his wire person, again highlighting the lack of trust shared between the two.