5. Hilary Swank's Million Dollar Baby Training Led To An Almost Fatal Bacterial Infection
Hilary Swank won her second Best Actress Oscar for playing a female boxer ("girlie, tough ain't enough", Clint Eastwood's clearly Republican-voting trainer growls) in Million Dollar Baby, but not before she almost died from a bacterial infection she picked up in training for the film. Not helped one bit by the fact that she was down the gym for five hours every day for three months, a popped blister on Swank's foot developed something known as a Staph infection, which would've killed her had it spread to her heart. At the time Swank was treated, the infection was spreading and Swank was told by a doctor in no uncertain terms to stop boxing and take some rest, advice that she took on board by continuing to weight train (albeit in areas that didn't require her to stand, with her trainer piggybacking her to the gym each day). This despite the fact that the doctor had told her the infection was "life-threatening", and that the antibiotics used to treat Staph infections are becoming less effective every day.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
