J.J. Abrams might be the only director in Hollywood who needs his own stunt double.
The “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” producer stopped by “The Daily Show” on Thursday and revealed an injury he suffered while shooting “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.”
Abrams was trying to help star Harrison Ford after a prop on set malfunctioned and pinned the actor’s ankle “90 degrees.” Unfortunately, the “Lost” creator found himself more hurt than his leading man.
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“There was a hydraulic door that went down,” Abrams told host Jon Stewart, explaining how Ford’s foot had gotten caught underneath the heavy machinery. However, he continued, the screen legend just laughed it off.
“He’s down there and he’s toughing it out. He’s a super-human being and he’s literally lying there, making jokes,” Abrams said of Ford’s reaction. “This door had gone down and I’m trying to help lift it up, because that’s the kind of guy I am. So, I’m trying to lift up this door and I feel this kind of pop in my back. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s weird.'”
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Abrams said he went to the doctor a couple of days later and was told he broke his back.
“I broke my L4 trying to lift this door,” he told Stewart, shaking his head.
“I felt like the most nebbishy, Jewish director ever,” Abrams laughed, comparing his self-described neurotic quirks to Ford’s trademark machismo.
“He’s a Miracle Man, and I’m like, ‘Excuse me, Mr. Darth Vader, could you be more evil?'” the director chuckled. “I do not understand that gentleman.”
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“Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” hits theaters on Dec. 18.
— Erin Biglow
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