10 On-Set Injuries You Won’t Believe Actors Worked Through

3. Malcolm McDowell - Scratched Cornea - A Clockwork Orange

Stanley Kubrick was never the sort of director who had a reputation for being gentle with his actors, and A Clockwork Orange is no exception. This is a man who, upon learning that Malcolm McDowell had a phobia of snakes, decided that Alex should have a pet snake. But mere psychological torment is just the tip of the iceberg. You remember that iconic scene, when Alex is being brainwashed and he's got those hideous looking clamps to keep his eyes open? And there's that doctor sitting next to him, putting drops in his eyes every few seconds? Apparently, the first time they put the clamps on him, they accidentally scratched his cornea. The guy on screen playing the doctor was actually a legitimate doctor -- if Malcolm McDowell's eyes dried out during filming, he risked permanent blindness as a result. It was such a severe eye injury that McDowell asked for them to stop shooting until it healed. Kubrick being Kubrick, he waved aside McDowell's concerns, and decided to go on with the scene. So we're pretty sure that Malcolm McDowell screaming in a straitjacket is pretty much just Malcolm McDowell screaming in a straitjacket. No acting required. Just the way Kubrick liked it.