“David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived” is an upcoming documentary executive produced by Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, which tells the story of his stunt double who got paralyzed for life. With the announcement of his upcoming documentary, fans wish to find out how Holmes was paralyzed, and which scene he was working on. Here’s all you need to know about the David Holmes incident.
How was the Harry Potter stunt double, David Holmes, paralyzed?
During the rehearsal for The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter stunt double, David Holmes was paralyzed after getting launched into a wall at high speed.
In an interview with the Mirror in 2014, Holmes revealed that he was supposed to replicate the effects of an explosion. So, it was a “jerk back” stunt that pulled him backward “at speed” with a high-strength wire during rehearsal.
Unfortunately, it didn’t end safely for him, as he broke his neck after being launched into a wall. The incident occurred at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.
Which Harry Potter scene did the stunt double’s accident occur?
David Holmes revealed that his injury occurred while rehearsing a “flying scene” for Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 1.
It remains unclear whether the scene he was rehearsing for made it into the final cut or not. Now, his upcoming documentary will tell us more about his life since the incident. It is set to feature his past stunt work, his candid footage shot over the last few years, and interviews with him, Radcliffe, and a few others where they talk about the dreadful stunt and his life.
The official synopsis of David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, as per HBO, reads:
“The film is a coming-of-age story of stuntman David Holmes, a prodigious teenage gymnast from Essex, England, who is selected to play Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first ‘Harry Potter’ film, when Daniel is just 11.
Over the next 10 years, the two form an inextricable bond, but on the penultimate film a tragic accident on set leaves David paralyzed with a debilitating spinal injury, turning his world upside down. As Daniel and his closest stunt colleagues rally to support David and his family in their moment of need, it is David’s extraordinary spirit of resilience that becomes their greatest source of strength and inspiration.”
For more updates, check out when TWD: The Ones Who Live will arrive. Also, find out more about Daryl Dixon and Dead City Season 2.