Olivia Wilde revealed on the “Armchair Expert” podcast (via Entertainment Weekly) that she was nearly stampeded to death by horses on the set of “Cowboys & Aliens,” director Jon Favreau’s 2011 Western action movie based on the graphic novel of the same name. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford headlined the tentpole, with the likes of Wilde, Goggins, Sam Rockwell and Paul Dano in supporting roles.
“Walt Goggins saved my life on that movie,” Wilde said. “He did. I had a very bad horse accident, and he saved me. It was me and Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford galloping, like, full sprint across the desert with 40 horses behind us. And it was like we were leading the charge to fight the aliens or whatever.”
Wilde said there was a “large ditch” that horse jumped over during the take, inadvertently causing the actor to be throw off the horse.
“So sure enough, this horse jumps and bucks me off in the craziest way,” she said. “I fell off. I hit my head and my back, and I was laying [on the ground] but, unfortunately, I was on the other side of this kind of lip of dirt, meaning that all horses behind couldn’t see me. And there was also a lot of dust. I remember having my ear to the ground and I could hear it and it sounded like thunder, like they were coming towards me. And I had the thought — it sounds so dramatic — but I thought, it’ll be quick. It’ll be like, pulverized applesauce. Out.”
