Gerard Butler recently shared a chilling incident where he nearly harmed Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie during the filming of their 2003 movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life.
The action-packed sequel followed Jolie’s character, Lara Croft, on a mission to locate and protect Pandora’s Box from the clutches of a sinister bioterrorist, Jonathan Reiss. Butler played Terry Sheridan, a mercenary working alongside Croft to eliminate their enemies.
In a recent interview, the Den of Thieves actor reflected on dangerous mishaps during his action movie career. While recounting one particular incident, the 55-year-old revealed how a stunt involving a blank-fire gun almost turned deadly for Jolie.
“I almost shot Angelina Jolie in the face,” Butler told PEOPLE. “I was hanging upside down, and I had to fire a gun, but I had no control over where it went. I just fired, and it narrowly missed her.”
Calling the moment “insane,” Butler expressed relief that the dangerous mishap didn’t lead to tragedy.
The Jan de Bont-directed film was the sequel to the 2001 hit Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, which starred Angelina Jolie alongside Daniel Craig. While the franchise is known for its thrilling action sequences, this near-miss on set highlights the real risks actors face while filming high-stakes scenes.
