Matthew McConaughey injured himself on the set of “Reign of Fire.” The actor blames himself.
While appearing on “Hot Ones” for his latest Oscar-hopeful project “The Lost Bus,” McConaughey recounted a story from the filming of Rob Bowman’s 2002 apocalyptic fantasy film. The injury came when McConaughey filmed a scene where he walks across a burned field and drops into a shed.
“We walk in, drop down into a tunnel. You could see [the lights were on], you could see the bottom of the tunnel. It was about a six-foot drop, so you see it, go down, you know when to bend your knees and take in the impact,” McConaughey said. “We get the take and I go out there, and as I arrive and get to it, the lights were turned out because it was low lighting for the scene, and I couldn’t see the floor.”
“Scene’s gone well to that point, I’m like, ‘Well, I remember where the floor is, it’s just a six-feet dip,’ and I jumped in,” the actor continued. “Because I didn’t see the bottom, I didn’t know when to bend my knees and take the impact, and I hyperextended my right leg and crumbled.”
McConaughey took accountability for the injury, admitting that it was a silly mistake that could’ve been prevented. “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans, however, gave the actor some credit, saying he was simply too invested in the scene.
“Right when I did it, I was like, ‘That was such a dumbass move,’” McConaughey lamented. “I should’ve just said, ‘Cut! I don’t see!’”
“But you were feeling it,” Evans said. “You were in rhythm, you were in a flow state.”
“I was in it!” McConaughey exclaimed. “Six feet down, I can do this, and I remember ‘Pop!’ And that was a silly injury.” You can watch the clip below.
The exchange came about when Evans pointed out that “Sahara” filmmaker Breck Eisner said that McConaughey would do “any stunt that the insurance company will allow” himself. Evans then asked McConaughey for his most “bizarre, memorable injury,” to which the actor admitted, “I’ve had a few.”
A few indeed. Also on the set on “Reign of Fire,” McConaughey inadvertently head-butted co-star Christian Bale for real, causing Bale to drop to the ground. While preparing for his role in the cancelled barroom fighter film “The Grackle,” McConaughey inadvertently cut his face.
The injuries follow him off-set as well, as McConaughey shared an image of himself in 2024 with his eye severely swelled shut by a bee sting. The photo of a smiling McConaughey with one eye firmly swollen shut was appropriately captioned “bee swell.”
Maybe a stunt man would be a good idea.
