Freak Accidents That Nearly Killed Actors Off Set
Best known for playing the titular superhero in “Deadpool,” Ryan Reynolds may have wished he had superpowers when he had a freak skydiving accident as a teenager, experiencing the ultimate nightmare: his parachute wouldn’t open after he leaped from the plane.
“I’m falling to the ground, thinking that was great, and then I pulled my cord and … nothing,” Reynolds recalled. Despite this horrifying moment, Reynolds said he remained calm and remembered the emergency procedure to release the reserve parachute. But as the actor explained, “This may sound odd, but when you’re falling like that, you just can’t bring yourself to do it.” The actor was gripped with fear that the same thing might happen with the reserve: “I don’t want to find out if it’s going to work or not.”
Thankfully it worked, and Reynolds made it safely to the ground. “That was the point where my whole world collapsed, and the panic attack kicked in.” Reynolds’ response was extreme but entirely understandable: “I turned my entire jumpsuit into a toilet.”