Despite the diva image of the acting profession, a lot of them are actually surprisingly resilient. Part of their job includes putting themselves into scary and sometimes dangerous situations, and when they get injured, they're often encouraged to keep working (especially if Stanley Kubrick is involved -- that guy missed his calling as a psychotic drill sergeant). While stunt people are the ones who are putting themselves in the line of fire (sometimes literally), actors get hurt on set pretty frequently. While these are usually relatively minor incidents -- pulling a muscle, spraining an ankle, burning a finger -- every once in a while they get seriously injured, and end up with battle scars that they can brag about at parties for years to come. That is to say, if the mere thought of their injury doesn't make them break out into hives (and we would totally understand if it did -- we whine about paper cuts). But while great actors soldier on, some of the best can actually find a way to incorporate their injury into the scene and create an iconic moment for the film. While the money and fame certainly has to come as a consolation to them when they end up getting hurt, we still can't help but shudder at the idea of some of these injuries -- clearly actors are made of sterner stuff than they'd have us believe.
10. Brad Pitt - Torn Achilles Tendon - Troy
Troy may not be the greatest film ever made, but it does feature one of the most fantastic examples of irony in movie history. The film starred a bronzed, roided-up Brad Putt as the Greek superhero warrior Achilles, and detailed the famous battle between the city of Troy and the forces of King Menelaus of Sparta, after Trojan prince Paris stole the king's wife Helen. Based on everything we know from pop culture about ancient Greece, it seems incredibly foolhardy to pick a fight with Sparta, especially when they've got Achilles on their side. In mythology, Achilles is a nearly invincible Greek hero, impervious to all harm -- that is, of course, unless something hits his heel by some crazy stroke of luck. So it really only makes sense that while Brad was filming his major fight sequence for the film, he would land wrong and tear his Achilles tendon. It would probably be funny if Achilles injuries didn't rate just below childbirth on the horrific pain scale.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
