When filming a film that requires actors to take part in a bit of little bit of dueling, there may be at all times an opportunity that somebody goes to return away with a couple of bruises and scratches. Nevertheless, when Michael Caton-Jones set cameras rolling on Liam Neeson
’s 1994 film Rob Roy
, he didn’t know that the intricately deliberate battle within the film’s finale would result in his lead actor being stabbed within the hand by costar Tim Roth
.
The ultimate act of the historic epic, which had the unlucky luck of being made and launched across the identical time as Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, noticed Neeson’s titular rugged highlander clashing swords with Roth’s aristocratic swordsman in what has been known as one of many best on-screen sword fights. Such a scene requires a number of preparation, and each Roth and Neeson put in months of rehearsals earlier than taking pictures the scene for actual.

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On an episode of the Overdue Leases podcast, Roth shared the story of how he unintentionally stabbed the Irishman regardless of utilizing a blunted prop sword. He stated:
“I had a great deal of time to follow, so I used to be working with [Neeson’s] double. This wonderful man, that really actually seemed like him as nicely. However I used to be working, rehearsing together with his double quite a bit, so I had my strikes down, however Liam was taking part in meet up with us. So at one level, he went to parry a transfer that I did, and my sword went in-between his finger and up in [his hand]. It was like, ‘Oh my god, medic!’ And so they’re blunt-ended swords, they have been fastidiously crafted, made out of aluminum, I believe.”
Tim Roth Suffered a Second of Karma, Proving How Stunt Work Is At all times Dangerous
Whereas Neeson’s damage was not extremely severe and rapidly bandaged by crew members, Roth thought in regards to the incident for an extended whereas afterward. Maybe by the point he starred in The Musketeer in 2001, he had fully forgotten about it, or he would have if that film had not been painful for greater than it simply being a flop.
In accordance with Roth, whereas filming The Musketeer he was unintentionally stabbed in precisely the identical place as he had stabbed Neeson nearly a decade earlier than. Because the actor stated himself, it was a second of karmic payback that he couldn’t assist however smile about as he recalled the serendipity of all of it.
At a time when stunt performances are about to begin getting some long-overdue recognition on the Academy Awards, Roth’s recollection is a reminder that whoever performs stunts in motion pictures and TV exhibits is placing quite a bit on the road each time cameras roll – no matter how a lot preparation is put into it. In fact, if an actual damage leads to the ultimate efficiency, then it might additionally add an unlucky however genuine second of fact to the ultimate manufacturing.
Supply: Overdue Leases

Rob Roy
- Launch Date
-
April 14, 1995
- Runtime
-
139 Minutes
- Director
-
Michael Caton-Jones