10 Hilarious Actor Pranks (That Went Too Far...)

As an actor, you're required to be mentally and physically flexible with a healthy dose of durability thrown in there, too. Not because the job involves flipping around like an acrobat (even though sometimes it can) it's more to do with those long, gruelling days on set.

An actor’s working day can consist of spending anywhere up to 14 hours on set, 6 days a week! We know that these guys aren't exactly saving people's lives - their job doesn't require the same level of risk or dedication as say a doctor or a fireman - but have you tried spending that long outside in fake rain having to say the same line until it no longer even sounds like real words? And how about then having to wait 20 minutes between takes while the camera crew adjusts accordingly? It's hardly glamorous. That's why these professionals earn the big bucks.

That being said, actors are people first and foremost and with people come boredom and with boredom comes... pranks. We've all played the odd harmless one on a sibling or been the ill fated victim, but actors are a creative bunch and take things to another level. With enough time and commitment they can be capable of moments as savage as they are fantastic.

Sometimes though, that creativity pushed things a bit much. When does a great prank go too far?

The cast assembled for Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men contained a nucleus of talent that most could see were going places. By the time Days Of Future Past rolled around, the clan were bonafide box office. If one of these megastars was to get injured, the costs of scheduling reshoots alone would be the kind of headache a big studio, like FOX, could do without.

With that in mind, you have to wonder whose idea it was to allow James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender to include BB-gun Wars in their downtime between scenes.

McAvoy remarked how "you were probably going to get hit in the face. And probably get your skin broken," which sounds like a make-up nightmare, frankly.

Some level of on-set shenanigans is almost always guaranteed, but these actors are responsible for the livelihoods of all the men and women on set, doing their jobs and providing for their families. It would only be a matter of time before an actor would go down with an injury through something as juvenile as freak toy gun accidents and the financial hit on the studio and crew would be embarrassing.

Luckily no-one was severely hurt, but it could very easily have been a lot worse.