Actor Ed Harris is known for his incredible performances in not just serious drama films like Pollock, The Hours, and The Truman Show, but has also fared well in blockbusters like The Rock, Top Gun: Maverick, and A History of Violence. The actor has been nominated for the Oscars four times and his work on Westworld got him an Emmy nomination too.
While Harris has never shied away from experimenting with different kinds of films, he truly felt that his life had ended when he worked on James Cameron’s The Abyss. Reportedly 40% of the film was shot underwater, and one instance while filming reportedly led to Harris having a near-death experience.
Ed Harris Almost Died While Filming James Cameron’s The Abyss
James Cameron’s films are categorized by their large-scale productions, filled with set-pieces and technical achievements that have made them some of the highest-grossing films of all time. However, his films are also known for being tough on actors and crew members due to his allegedly autocratic style of leadership.
The peak of this was reportedly seen in the science fiction film The Abyss. With over 40% of the film shot underwater in large tanks, the actors had to learn how to breathe underwater for long durations. While the breathing liquid used in the film reportedly existed for the use of the crew, it was only tested on animals.
Hence, Ed Harris chose not to use the liquid and decided to ‘do his own stunts’ like Tom Cruise by relying on his breathing power instead. He recalled one incident where his character had his helmet filled with water. While they filmed it for real and Harris tried to hold on to his breath, he promptly signaled a diver to help him when he could not anymore.
But, a slight delay supposedly sent Harris into a near-death experience. He said (via Matt Mueller),
It was a b*tch. It was pretty hairy…For a brief second, I thought this is it.
Many such incidents reportedly plagued the production of the film to the point where even Cameron was frustrated and vowed never to go through something like this again.
Actors Of The Abyss Claimed There Were Days When No Scenes Were Filmed
James Camron’s The Abyss reportedly had a tumultuous shoot due to the grueling nature of the survival film itself. The filming reportedly took place at an abandoned nuclear plant that was never functional and was hence not radioactive. The underwater sequences were filmed in large tanks that began to leak in the initial days of shooting (via Matt Mueller).
The actor especially had a tough time on set and complained about Cameron’s strict style of direction. They also claimed that they would be sitting around for hours without filming anything. Actor Michael Biehn said,
Sometimes we’d sit in a submersible for eight hours before the cameras rolled. Jim was impassioned, almost in a trance sometimes.
Cameron apparently had a great amount of creative control over the project and even shouted at a Fox executive who had come to supervise the production.
The Abyss is available to stream on Hulu.
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