HBO is once again defending its stunt safety on the set ofGame of Thrones, after a video of a set accident that occurred in 2014 was leaked. Andy Pilgrim, who served as a stunt performer on the HBO series, fractured his ankle while working onseason 5 episode “Hardhome.“He later sued HBO subsidiary Fire & Blood Productions, settling for £500,000, or $686,000.
Deadlinehas now received and reported on footage of the incident, which came from Wayne Michaels — the father of Casey Michaels, another stunt performer injured while working onGame of Thrones. Although the outlet has not shared the video publicly, it described its contents, which appear to be in line with Pilgrim’s recollection of events.
PerDeadline,Pilgrim’s legal complaint alleged that the stunt causing his injury had been alteredin the time between rehearsal and filming. The scene being filmed reportedly involved a 16-foot wooden wall, which stunt performers were supposed to be on top of as it fell forward. The initial plan was to have a crane lower the wall, with six performers handling the stunt.
However, in legal documents,Pilgrim claimed that there were more performers than they’d rehearsed with and that the crane wasn’t usedto lower the wall. Instead, it allegedly dropped in an “uncontrolled and ungoverned fashion,” which caused it to rebound and hit Pilgrim’s ankle. The video leaked to Deadline reportedly shows the wall hitting the ground with two seemingly loose crane cables in the background.
HBO’s Response To Revived Concerns About Stunt Safety On Game Of Thrones
The Network & Stunt Coordinator Rowley Irlam Insist Safety Is A “Top Priority”
Wayne Michaels sent this leaked stunt video toDeadlinein order to “raise awareness” about safety on HBO’s sets. In a statement shared with the outlet,HBO stated that it takes “these matters veryseriously.“A spokesperson for the network emphasized its commitment to safety and stood by Rowley Irlam, the coordinator in charge of the stunt that injured Pilgrim:
“Mr. Irlam is a celebrated and respected stunt coordinator and has an extensive history with HBO productions. As an expert in such a physically demanding field, we remain confident in his abilities and know he has always done everything possible to maintain the high safety standards that are required on our productions.”
Irlam was also responsible for overseeing the stunt that injured Casey Michaels. He remains a coordinator onHouse of the Dragon,and HBO released a statement from him, highlighting his 20-year track record of designing and managing action sequences. It went on to note that he was not found to be at fault for Pilgrim’s accident:
“The matter was resolved between Mr Pilgrim and the production company and there were no rulings or findings of fault against me personally. Mr Pilgrim continued to work within my team for two additional seasons following the incident, serving as stunt performer and stunt safety professional only. The accusations you put forward are simply untrue and unfounded.”
Still,concerns about set safety onGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragonaren’t totally unwarranted, as Casey Michaels shared a similar story to Pilgrim. And stunt performers have genuine reasons to fear speaking out about such experiences, as doing so could negatively impact their careers.
Casey Michaels Shared A Similar Experience Working On Game Of Thrones
Stunt Performers May Benefit From More Oversight
Although HBO is maintaining its stance that stunt safety is taken seriously on sets likeGame of Thrones',Casey Michaels has a story similar to the one put forth by Pilgrim.Deadlinereported onMichaels' injury and subsequent lawsuit, which resulted in HBO paying a little over $9 million as part of a settlement.
Michaels was injured while filming sequences forGame of Thronesseason 8’s “The Long Night,“where she was playing one of the many members of the Night King’s army. She and other performers were tasked with a 12-foot drop into a landing rig. Michaels broke her left ankle during the second take, an incident that has since ended her career.
Like Pilgrim,Michaels alleged that the final setup for the stunt wasn’t sufficient. She’d also been told that the landing rig was changed in between takes, with thinner crash mats replacing the thicker ones that were originally there. HBO reportedly denied this swap in its legal defense, but other stunt professionals backed up Michaels' claim that the rig wasn’t up to snuff.
Michaels also alleged that 26 other stunt performers jumped first, which might have compromised the rig further. She also recalled that they were told to “drop like a pencil” — an instruction that would put more weight on the feet and legs. Irlam denied telling performers this and did not claim responsibility for the incident. He was not included in the lawsuit, though HBO accepted liability.
Michaels' claims shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially with Pilgrim sharing a similar experience. Although it’s impossible to discern exactly what happened or who was responsible all these years later,Game of Thrones' two similar incidents certainly suggest that stunt performers would benefit from more oversight and protocol in general.
