The dramatic Harry Potter tragedy has finally made Hollywood safer
The story of paralyzed Harry Potter actor David Holmes has paved the way for a safer Hollywood.
During production of The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in 2009, Holmes happily resumed his position as lead actor Daniel Radcliffe, but one fight sequence involving Lord Voldemort’s snake Horcrux Nagini would change his life forever.
Rehearsals for the scene went well, but the crew thought the move could be improved, so they decided to add more weight to the pulley system that would launch Holmes (as Harry) into the air at incredible speed.
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“Training the day before was violent and fast, but we went to something a little faster and a little more violent on the second day,” he recalled in an interview with The Guardian.
“In stunt rehearsals, we were constantly trying to push the boundaries of what stunts could be, whether it was flying through the air or a 15-minute fight routine.”
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, an HBO original documentary that tells the extraordinary story of Daniel Radcliffe’s breakthrough film and their enduring friendship, premieres November 16 on HBO Max. #David Holmes pic.twitter.com/JLPkaxPe85
– HBO Max Nordic (@HBOMaxNordic) November 11, 2023
Devastatingly, Holmes crashed into a wall and fell to the ground, unable to feel his legs. The 40-year-old now lives with four full-time carers due to him being paralyzed from the chest down, with pain comparable to “10 elephants standing on top of my head”.
“I knew it immediately. I knew I had broken my neck. I was fully conscious,” he said.
As a result, stunt safety systems across the entertainment industry have received an overhaul, a legacy that Holmes can cling to.
He went on to tell the publication: “It was an ancient method of flying on a wire with weights that are not used anymore. It is banned in the film industry. The fallout from my accident means that no one will be put in that position again.” “That’s enough for me. It’s just more complicated and controlled now.”
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Radcliffe has produced a new documentary telling Holmes’ story, which is coming to Sky Documentaries and Now in the UK next week.
“Fortunately for me, because of this film, my legacy in front of the camera is now not just me running into that wall 14 years ago. Maybe people will take some positives from the way I handled it, and hopefully with a little bit of dignity — although All this and the star commented, saying: “Dignity is taken away.”
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