10 Movie Performances That Got Too Real
9. Brandon Lee - The Crow
Alex Proyas' stylish superhero movie The Crow was supposed to be Hollywood's coming-out party for Bruce Lee's son Brandon, yet Lee ended up dying in an on-set accident after a prop gun misfired.
Proyas and his crew were last scrambling to complete the film without their lead actor, ultimately employing a combination of body doubles and visual effects to complete the few remaining days of shooting.
Such an accident would cast a devastating cloud over any film, but it's especially tough in The Crow given that Lee's protagonist, rock star Eric Draven, is murdered by gunshot (among other things) early on.
Even more gutting is the fact that Draven ends up rising from the dead to avenge himself and his fiancee, Shelly (Sofia Shinas), though of course, life sadly wasn't able to imitate art in this case.
Unlike Pieces of a Woman, what happened to Lee doesn't necessarily detract from the film in any way, though certainly lends it a heartbreaking poignance it otherwise wouldn't have.