Summary
AGame of Thronesstunt performer received millions following a life-changing incident on set in 2018. For the first time, they publicly shared the details when they filmed the scene that left them injured and halted their budding career.
Casey Michaels was one of the stunt performers in HBO’sGame of Thrones. She grew up enjoying sports and was already horse riding and racing down ski slopes when she was 5. She had a promising career ahead of her, but it abruptly ended when she got into an accident on set while filming the epic fantasy TV series’s final season. Michaels was among the zombie warriors in the third episode ofGoTSeason 8and the scene required them to drop about 12 feet into a landing rig of cardboard boxes and mats, which served as a cushion. However, it didn’t turn out as expected, leaving Michaels with a career-ending injury.
Michaels spoke with Deadline to open up about the unspoken issues of the life of a stunt performer. She wanted to expose what was wrong with their dangerous profession and confront those who often blamed them when things went wrong. According to her, there were 27 of them who were involved in the scene and she was the last to fall. They were reportedly instructed to “drop like a pencil” and were discouraged from looking down. The first take went well, but she got into an accident during the second take. She didn’t feel the pain immediately, so she plunged with all her weight on her left ankle and that was when she realized she was injured. “I hit the floor and heard my bones breaking underneath me,” Michaels told Deadline. She later learned there were allegedly changes made to the stunt between takes and the thick mats were changed for thinner alternatives.HBOdenied this.
HBO initially blamed Michaels for the accident for her “own negligence.” They argued that she failed to “exercise the skills and care of a reasonably competent stunt performer.” However, in 2023, HBO eventually decided to pay Michaels the $9.3 million settlement, including her legal costs and the company lawyer also issued an apology.Stunt coordinator Rowley Irlamhas never apologized and insisted that he wasn’t part of the case. “There were no rulings or findings of fault against me personally,” he said. He denied that he issued the pencil instruction, which allegedly encouraged the stunt performers to fall with their legs straightened and together. However, three other individuals corroborated Michaels' claim. Another concern was that the rigs used to cushion the stuntmen and stuntwomen were insufficient. Michaels was the last to fall, so 26 others fell before her, so the rig was already heavily impacted before her. Nine stunt experts also supported Michael’s conclusion, blaming the landing rig for the accident. HBO reportedly asked Wade Eastwood, the man behindTom Cruise’sMission: Impossiblestunt, to write an expert report defending them from Michaels' allegation. However, the stunt expert concluded that the landing rig didn’t suffice to keep the 27 people safe. HBO did not submit Eastwood’s report. Eastwood also told Deadline “that could have very easily been avoided if the correct procedures were in place for the number of performers.”
Michaels' decision to open up about the accident would help raise awareness about the unspoken challenges that stunt individuals face on set. They risk their lives and are easily blamed when things go wrong. However, in the case of Michaels' injury on theGame of Thronesset, it was evident that there was a shortcoming in coordinating the stunt. Deadline also noted that even if Irlam wasn’t mentioned in Michaels' case, two other accidents reportedly happened before Michaels' under Irlam’s supervision. Andy Pilgrim, also a stunt person forGame of Thrones,suffered a similar injury — a broken ankle — when they filmed Season 5’s “Hardhome.” HBO also reportedly blamed Pilgrim but later paid a $669,000 settlement. Two other stunt performers also told the outlet, under the condition of anonymity, that they suffered injuries while working for Irlam onCaptain America: The First Avenger.Irlam serves as themain stunt coordinator for HBO’sHouse of the Dragon. The reports of alleged injuries under Irlam’s watch are concerning. Stunt coordinators must be extra vigilant for everyone’s safety. While it’s easy to deny responsibility, when multiple injuries happen under a stunt coordinator’s watch, it could be a sign of a serious problem that needs immediate attention.
