The incident on the Harry Potter film set that resulted in the paralysis of Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double, David Holmes.
Daniel Radcliffe is producing a documentary about the stunt double for Harry Potter who suffered a set accident and is now paralyzed.
David Holmes was left with a broken neck after a stunt went wrong during the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), for which he was hired as Daniel Radcliffe's double.
A new documentary titled David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived will shed light on the "tragic" incident that "turned his world upside down" and left the 42-year-old Essex native paralyzed from the chest down.
However, what truly transpired with Holmes? In a 2014 interview, the man disclosed specifics regarding the injury to The Mirror.
In a "jerk back" stunt that mimics the effects of an explosion, Holmes was pulled backwards "at speed" by a high-strength wire in 2009 while he was practicing a flying scene at Warner Bros Studios, Leavesden. But Holmes was thrown against a wall, breaking his neck right away.
After being taken to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, northwest London, for six months, he was taken to Watford General Hospital.
It was at this point that Holmes realized he would have restricted movement in his hands and arms and would be paralyzed from the chest down.
About what happened right after the incident, Holmes stated, "I hit the wall and then landed on the crash mat underneath." Squeeze my fingers, my stunt coordinator commanded as she grabbed my hand. Although I could reach out and grab his hand, I was unable to squeeze his fingers.
"I realized something significant had happened when I met his eyes. The pain levels caused me to occasionally lose consciousness, as I recall. I knew I had seriously hurt myself when I felt that strange sensation run the entire length of my body, from my fingertips to my toes, since I had broken a bone before.
His first thought, he said, was, "Don't call Mom and Dad; I don't want to worry them."
After being taken to the nearby Watford General Hospital, David was moved to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, North West London, where medical professionals informed him that he would only have restricted movement in his hands and arms and would be paralyzed from the chest down.
Radcliffe as well as Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, frequently paid Holmes visits. In order to collect money for Holmes's medical expenses, the former hosted a dinner and charity auction. "An incredibly important person in my life," as he put it, was Holmes.
A competitive gymnast since the age of six, Holmes began his acting career in the science fiction film Lost in Space (1998), starring Matt LeBlanc and William Hurt.
After being discovered by stunt coordinator Greg Powell, he was cast as Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double in the 2001 release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
In 2014, Holmes remarked of the incident, "Sometimes I do get flashbacks from the accident - I re-live it sometimes when I'm drifting off to sleep," but he had learned to live with and manage it. Holmes went on to become an Appeal Ambassador for RNOH.
"Candid personal footage shot over the last decade, behind-the-scenes material from Holmes's stunt work, scenes of his current life and intimate interviews with David, Radcliffe, friends, family, and former crew" are among the features of David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived.
The project, which is helmed by British director Dan Hartley, was started a few years after Radcliffe, 34, and Holmes co-founded the 2020 Cunning Stunts podcast.
On Wednesday, November 15 at 9 p.m. EST, HBO will debut David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived. Later, in the US, it will be streamed on Max. Beginning on November 18, viewers in the UK can watch it on Sky Documentaries and NOW.