Actors Injured By Painful Costumes And Prosthetics

From an outsider's perspective, it's easy to assume that an actor's time on set is all sunshine and rainbows. They get to travel, make tons of money, and embody interesting characters that become beloved by the masses. However, creating a TV show or film isn't always as much fun as it seems. In reality, the process can be downright dangerous, with injuries occurring beyond a "stunt gone wrong" situation. Sometimes, actors are gravely hurt due to the painful costumes and/or prosthetics that they're required to wear.

Throughout the history of Hollywood, numerous reports have surfaced about actors being injured, or even falling severely ill, thanks to the props, costumes, makeup and other elements used on the set to transform them for the screen. From fused ribs and torn-off skin to near-paralysis and lengthy hospital stints, they have endured it all. Read on to see which well-known stars suffered some rather intense injuries while bringing their characters in popular movies and series to life.

Many intricate details went into creating the ambience of 1950s New York seen in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." From period cars to the hustle and bustle of department stores, the production team captured it all. The process of immersing audiences in the city's mid-20th century culture also required ensuring that the characters looked the part. For leading lady Rachel Brosnahan, as wife-turned-comedian Miriam Maisel, her dresses needed to showcase the era's popular silhouette: a tiny waist and flowing skirt.

This was achieved by Brosnahan wearing corsets, just as women used to do in that era. Though flattering, this aspect of Brosnahan's wardrobe — mixed with creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's wicked fast dialogue that first became a staple on "Gilmore Girls" — left her with a lasting injury.

She explained on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," "I actually kind of got a corset-related injury. We talk so fast on the show that just to get all the words out, you can't really take very many breaths. And I think I wasn't breathing a lot and I was a little bit constrained, and apparently some of my ribs are sort of fused together a little bit, and I can't take super deep breaths anymore." As Corden and fellow guest star RuPaul expressed their shock and concern, Brosnahan assured them, "It's really fine, guys. Champagne problems."

From the very beginning of the "Indiana Jones" franchise, Harrison Ford has preferred to rely on stunt doubles as little as possible. Since the release of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, Ford has been dragged by a truck, sprinted away from a massive boulder, and flown around a warehouse on wires, just to name a few of his daredevil actions.

However, with so much movement, Ford found it difficult to keep Indy's famous fedora in place. To rectify the situation on the set of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," he took a staple gun and, without hesitation, stapled the hat directly onto his forehead, saying, "That should do it." In an interview with GQ, Ford revealed that, decades later, he still has scars from the numerous staples that went into his skin. Still, he has no regrets about not seeking a less painful solution: "You do what you need to do."

When taking into consideration the fact that Ford was never a huge fan of Indiana's ensemble, his frustration with the hat is understandable. He questioned the filmmakers about the practicality of the look, from the leather jacket in a hot jungle to the randomness of the whip. Ford recalled the conversation that took place about the fedora: "'And the hat?' 'Well, it's an evocation of a time, a period, you know, a reflection of movies past.' 'Oh, OK.'"

Jack Haley may be synonymous with the hollow-chested Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz," but originally, another actor was supposed to assist Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) on her quest to the Emerald City. Buddy Ebsen, of "The Beverly Hillbillies" fame, was initially cast, but a major health scare forced filmmakers to look elsewhere.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Ebsen's daughter Kiki shared how real aluminum powder was dusted onto her father's face and hands several times a day. "And he inhaled it over time," she said. "It coated the inside of his lungs like paint. He could not get oxygen to his blood, but he didn't know this was happening. He just knew that he was cramping up [on] set and during shooting."

A little over a week into filming, Buddy was having so much trouble breathing that he was rushed to the hospital, where he remained for two weeks on oxygen. "He actually couldn't get oxygen to the blood and his blood fermented," said Kiki. "The doctor described it as ... a breakdown of the nervous system. He had taken as much as he could in his body, and it just broke down." Upon recovering six weeks later, Buddy learned that he'd been replaced. Though Haley wasn't forced to breath in the toxic powder (it was transformed into a paste), the aluminum makeup still wasn't entirely safe, with the new Tin Man actor getting an eye infection. 

In the 2011 prequel "X-Men: First Class," Jennifer Lawrence perfectly embodies shapeshifting superhero Mystique with her head-to-toe blue, scaly makeup. However, despite it being visually appealing for the screen, the body paint dampened Lawrence's filming experience. Not only did it take eight hours to apply each day, it also caused some serious skin issues. She told E! News, "I got a couple of things from the paint. Like weird boils, rashes and blisters." In fact, the situation became so dire, that a doctor had to stop by the set and pop the protrusions for her. 

At 20 years old, Lawrence didn't put up much of a fight about what materials were going on her body or the potentially negative effects beyond the bursting boils. Yet as she got older, her mindset changed. She told EW in 2015, ahead of the release of "X-Men: Apocalypse," "Now I'm almost 25 and I'm like, 'I can't even pronounce this and that's going in my nose? I'm breathing that?'"

Given the near-death experience of Buddy Ebsen, her concerns were valid. That's why, when it came time to shoot the next "X-Men" film, the body paint was ditched in favor of a bodysuit, much to Lawrence's relief. She told E! News at the time, "It will be from neck down so it will cut out time and the blisters."

It's hard to imagine the "Star Wars" universe without the endearingly fretful C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), the droid bestie of R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) who, despite his fearful nature, can usually be counted on to save the day. However, the actor inside the iconic golden costume doesn't look back on his "Star Wars" years with fond memories. Rather, his tenure working for George Lucas was chock full of mental turmoil, as well as physical. 

In his 2019 memoir "I Am C-3PO," Daniels gets candid about how, despite the character being a beloved figure in pop culture, he had a rather unenjoyable time bringing the droid to life on set. Weighing in at 60 pounds, the costume was heavy and tight, and, due to its limited mobility, required Daniels to be on his feet for many consecutive hours, unable to sit down. 

After playing C-3PO for a while, Daniels began to notice changes in his body, including a struggle to fully use his hands. He says in the memoir (via Toronto Star), "I couldn't easily turn my own front door key." His limbs were going numb, and doctors predicted that his hands and arms would be forever paralyzed if he continued on in this fashion. Eventually, the costume was altered to allow more movement, saving Daniels from an immobile future.