5 Times Actors' Injuries Had To Be Included In The Script

When an actor accidentally gets seriously injured, directors are challenged with how to acknowledge it without derailing the production. Here are 5 instances when real injuries had to be incorporated into movie and TV show scripts, and it went so smoothly you probably didn't even notice.

5. Mean Girls (2004)

In Tina Fey and Mark Water's iconic teen comedy, Tim Meadows, aka Principal Ron Duvall, wore a wrist brace before filming due to a real-life broken wrist. Tina Fey wrote in the carpal tunnel syndrome as a humorous way to incorporate his injury into the storyline so that he could still effectively portray the character.

4. Se7en (1995)

In David Fincher's crime thriller, Brad Pitt's arm cast was not part of the original plot. The actor broke his arm in an accident during a car chase scene, but the injury was added to his next sequences, adding charm to the detective character and authenticity to his adventures in the movie.

3. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

After Mark Hamill 's car accident in 1977 that broke his nose and cheekbone, George Lucas decided to allow facial reconstruction in the Star Wars films. While the Wampa attack scene in The Empire Strikes Back helped to explain the injuries, it wasn't originally intended to be used for that purpose.

2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

If you pay attention to small details, you might have noticed that Indiana Jones has a scar near his lower lip, and it's not a makeup thing. The scar came from a real-life accident when Harrison Ford tried to put on his seatbelt while driving and crashed into a pole, causing the scar that was later incorporated into the backstory of his most famous character.

1. Friends (1994-2004)

Matt LeBlanc accidentally dislocated his shoulder while attempting to jump over a coffee table in the Friends episode The One Where No One's Ready. This real-life injury led to Joey's character dislocating his shoulder while jumping on a bed in a later episode.