20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Wars: The Force Awakens
5. Harrison Ford's On-Set Injury Put A Major Strain On Production
Mere weeks after The Force Awakens began shooting, the production faced a major setback when Harrison Ford fractured a leg after a hydraulic door on the Millennium Falcon set fell on him.
Ford's injury caused major issues with the production's scheduling, which attempted to shoot around his injury as much as possible. Though Ford wasn't fully recovered for around two months, Abrams was able to shoot him from the waist-up for select scenes which didn't require coverage of his full body.
Production did nevertheless shut down entirely for two weeks amid Ford's recovery, and per the film's tight delivery deadlines, there were discussions about delaying it into 2016.
When the timeline of Ford's recuperation wasn't yet certain, Disney - who adamantly refused to delay the film - reportedly considered using an on-set body double and digitally superimposing Ford's head in post-production. Thankfully, though, he healed up quickly enough that this wasn't necessary.