Gerard Butler just revealed the violent reality behind his 2006 historical action film 300. In a new interview with PEOPLE, Butler said that there were many injuries on set, with cast members needing medical treatment every single day. From the sound of it, many of these injuries were severe and required hospitalization, including broken bones. The intense training and physical requirements of this film have been covered for years, but never have we heard of so much injury behind the scenes. Butler didn’t mention any injuries for himself, though he has previously said he had over-use injuries in one arm and one foot after the shoot.
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“I remember every day somebody was getting taken to the hospital,” Butler said. “You’d be doing a fight, you turn around, there’s a guy down there, a spear went in his eye. Another time, you turn around, there’s a guy over there who just fell, broke his ankle. I mean, it was insane.”
This was a joint interview with Butler and actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., in support of their new movie Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. Butler detailed some of the other injuries he’s suffered on the job over the years, and the scary situations that stunt work has put him in. He said that he’s “been rushed to the hospital” due to work-related injuries, yet he still loves that aspect of the job. “It’s awesome. I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he said.
[RELATED: Zack Snyder Confirms Work on 300 TV Series]
Butler starred as Leonidas, King of Sparta in 300, which was directed and co-written by Zack Snyder. The movie is a shot-for-shot remake of the comic book by the same name, which was written and illustrated by Frank Miller and colored by Lynn Varley. When 300 was released in 2006, the advertising, press tour and behind-the-scenes featurettes emphasized the intense physical training the actors and stunt performers went through — not only to look the part as Spartan warriors, but to get into their mindset as well. To this day, real-life coaches and exercise programs promise to mimic the methods used on this movie.
So far, Snyder and others involved in the production have not commented on Butler’s claims of injuries behind the scenes. There were no widespread reports of hospitalizations on the set two decades ago, though the movie generated a lot of press — and quite a bit of criticism.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is playing now in theaters. 300 is streaming now on Philo.
