Nov 1, 2009, 9:01 GMT
Jeff Bridges nearly died filming an elaborate stunt.
US actor Jeff Bridges. He said "I was checking into my hotel when I met this gorgeous girl. We went out for dinner and had all sorts of shellfish. The next morning, I was literally vomiting and swallowing my vomit so I wouldn't be sick on the directors in my audition. EPA/WARREN TODA
The actor was shooting an action scene in Ridley Scott's 1996 film 'White Squall' when he inhaled so much water and jet fumes his body starting "shutting down".
The 59-year-old star recalled: "It was this scene where I have to save all the kids. It was going to be a 10-minute scene, and they had - literally - jet engines providing hurricane winds and making the water look like the ocean.
"So all the fumes from the jet engines were in the air and my body started to shut down because I wasn't getting enough oxygen. About halfway through the scene I thought, 'I'm going down!'
"Luckily, my foot was caught on a wire, so I managed to raise myself out of the tank and draw attention to myself."
Jeff had another near-death experience nearly 40 years ago, when he was auditioning for 'Fat City' in Madrid.
He said "I was checking into my hotel when I met this gorgeous girl. We went out for dinner and had all sorts of shellfish. The next morning, I was literally vomiting and swallowing my vomit so I wouldn't be sick on the directors in my audition.
"Afterwards I went back to my hotel and proceeded to puke my guts out. I thought I was going to die. I heard a knock at the door, and I crawled out of bed and James Mason the actor was standing there.
"He literally saved my life. He took me to a doctor, who gave me a shot and I was fine. And I got the part."
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