“It Was a Pretty Close Call” While Making Surfing History on Screen, Ace Actor Gerard Butler Faced a Near Death Experience in 2012

The movie, ‘Chasing Mavericks’ would go down as one of the finest surfing films of all time. With high-end cinematography and real-life performances, the movie was a true delight for the audience. Gerard Butler, the lead actor, gave one of the best performances of his life. However, learning the journey of a surfer was never a cakewalk for the movie star. The ‘never give up’ attitude of the Scottish actor led him into fatal trouble. 

In an interview with The People magazine, the 53-year-old opened up about an accident during the shoot, which almost took his life. 

Gerard Butler met with a fatal accident during a surfing shot

In 2012, it was revealed that Gerard Butler had a terrible accident during a movie shoot. The incident happened when Butler was giving a surfing shot. The reports stated that the Scottish superstar was pulled underwater by the waves. He lost control and was dragged over the reef. 

Butler himself revealed the seriousness of the accident. “This was maybe one of the few times that the reports were not exaggerated,” he told the interviewer of a popular show in the U.K. He also revealed that it was a near-death experience for him. “It was a pretty close call”, Butler admitted. Butler further added that he felt unconscious as the waves struck him. The medical team took him to the hospital, but the lead actor wanted to get back on the set. 

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The 300-famed star revealed that he kept asking the staff to take him back to the sea. He wanted to continue surfing even after facing a fatal accident. “I was actually in the ambulance and wanted to go back,” Butler admitted. The star started surfing as a sport but later it became an addiction to him. 

Butler’s addiction helped his character in the movie

Butler admitted that back then, surfing was no longer a sport, but became an addiction for him. He could never take his mind off surfing. His obsession with surfing was one of the main reasons for his accident. However, the Scottish superstar looks on the brighter side of the issue. 

Butler believed that his enthusiasm helped him justify the movie character’s perspective. The over-inclination towards the sport helped him to dive into his character in the movie Rick Frosty Hesson. Hesson was also a surfing enthusiast and was crazy about the sport. 

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The 53-year-old actor believed that he could relate to various dialogues and scenes as he was feeling the same emotions as the character, this helped him in delivering a more real-looking performance. “In fact, everything I talked about happening in the movie happened to me,” he admitted.