10 Actors Who Paid Terrible Prices For Movie Roles

8. George Clooney Suffered A Serious Injury Shooting Syriana

Punished By God
Warner Bros.

In 2004 George Clooney took on the role of CIA operative Bob Barnes in Stephen Gaghan’s geopolitical thriller Syriana and suffered a serious injury during the filming of a scene in which his character is strapped to a chair and beaten and tortured.

When the chair toppled over, Clooney hit his head and damaged his dura – a membrane that the protects the brain and spinal cord. As a result the star experienced debilitating headaches so painful that he self-medicated with alcohol and even contemplated suicide at one point.

The injury forced Clooney to pull out of the big screen adaptation of 60s TV show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (which very well might have been a better film with his participation) and though surgery eventually alleviated much of the problem, Clooney still experiences those painful headaches today.

Clooney did, however, go on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Syriana. Every cloud, eh?

Contributor

Helen Jones hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.