'08
Warning, mild spoilers for Dexter ahead
The National Enquirer reports in this week’s issue that actor Jimmy Smits, who plays district attorney Miguel Prado, stabbed an actor in the chest several times during a scene in which he accidentally picked up a real knife that was inexplicably put right next to a fake prop knife on set. Smits stabbed actor Jeff Chase in the chest with a knife he assumed was a prop. He easily could have killed him, but as luck had it Chase was wearing a chest plate, which saved his life:
Dexter star Michael C. Hall screamed in horror “Stop! Stop! Stop!” as fellow actor Jimmy Smits stabbed another actor repeatedly in the chest with a real knife on the set of their hit show.
The shocking September 5 incident occurred after a real knife was mistakenly placed next to a theatrical prop knife.
“During a horrific execution scene with actor Jeff Chase, Smits was so into the part he kept stabbing Chase ferociously with what he thought was a fake knife,” a shaken eyewitness told the Enquirer…
Smits was so caught up in the emotionally charged scene, it took him about 16 seconds to stop. “By a miracle, Chase escaped without a cut because he had a protective chest plate on underneath his clothes,” said the source.
[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 28, 2008]
I left out a key detail in The Enquirer’s story which would make this even more of a spoiler. I’m a Dexter fan and have seen most every episode, and that detail about the incident might give too much away. If you want the full story you can pick up the Enquirer.
It’s a good thing that the actor was fine after that ordeal. A crew member might looking for a new job after this.
Several actors have been killed in stunts that involved props. The most well known is Brandon Lee, who was killed in 1993 by a stunt bullet on the set of The Crow. The gun was supposed to contain blanks, but a bullet that was accidentally lodged in the barrel from an earlier scene was fired at him later during filming, and hit him in the stomach. The bullet became lodged in his spine and he later died at the hospital.
Jon-Erik Hexum died in 1984 after he put a prop gun loaded with blanks to his head on the set of television show Cover Up and pulled the trigger as a joke.
This story has a much less tragic ending and it is likely that Dexter staff have learned their lesson and will be more careful in the future.
Header photo via IGN
Written by Celebitchy
Posted in Accidents, Jimmy Smits, Michael C Hall, Television
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19 Responses to “Dexter stunt went wrong, actor stabbed (mild spoilers)”
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Yikes, this story is creepy. It gives me the chills.
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So the source thinks it was a miracle that Jeff Chase wasn’t badly injured because he was wearing a chest plate?
Did a brace of angels descend from the sky and wrestle him into it or something?
It would be miraculous that the actor escaped further injury if he hadn’t been wearing it, or if the chest plate had been breached, not that he was wearing (what I hope is) standard Personal Protection Equipment for this type of stunt.
But in all seriousness, I’m glad to hear that the actor is doing ok. Hopefully it’ll make them and other studios be extra-careful.
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My guess would be, if it was a stabbing scene then the chest plate contained special effects such as blood spatter. It isn’t necessarily a plate DESIGNED to be protective, it just worked out that way.
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The chest plate IS designed to protect the organs and ribs from injury, disbursing the force of blows instead of letting them hit full on the area being struck. He is extremely lucky the knife point didn’t pierce the material and cut him.
I was in high school when JEH died, doing a production of Deathtrap that used the exact same model of gun he killed himself with. Even a bunch of 15-18 year olds mocked him for putting a prop gun up to his head and pulling the trigger. That’s what happens when you are hired for your looks and don’t have proper training, Darwinism at work.
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Thank you for leaving the spoilers out! I really appreciate it, as Dexter is my guilty pleasure show!
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This is horrible… next time the crew AND the actors need to be more careful.
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John Erik Hexum was HOT! Thanks for the memory there. I loved that show and used to watch it when I was in junior high. Loved loved it. And Jennifer O’Neill… they were good together in the show. Props are all capable of being dangerous. Glad this guy is ok. I love Dexter. My husband and I are convinced Dokes is still alive though. His character was excellent and I will miss that screaming little bald dude. Please return to the show Dokes!
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Oh I love this show. It’s wonderful to know that the actor is fine though.
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How can this possibly happen? This is just asinine. Reminds me of surgeons cutting off the wrong leg. Can we make SURE before we act, please?
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Is it just me that thinks that having the knife next to the prop knife is a bit fishy…
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No, it’s not, Exile. That was the first thing that jumped in my mind – who put the real knife right next to the fake knife?
I think I read a mystery novel that had something similar to that in it.
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I’m a Dexter fanatic. We’re too cheap to get Showtime so we watch it via Netflix, which means, of course, I have to avoid any and all related articles for fear of spoilers. But I couldn’t resist clicking on this one and am grateful to CB for leaving out any major plot developments.
Oh, and I’m happy the dude lived.
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Holy cow. I feel bad for everyone involved. It must have been very scary. I’m sure Mr Smits feels terrible although it wasn’t his fault.
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I’m thinking of becoming Michael C. Hall’s stalker. The man makes me tingly in all my girly parts. Le sigh.
Glad this guy Chase was not injured but that person who put a real knife next to the prop should me made to watch the “Hottie and the Nottie” with Paris Hilton fifty times in a row or something. That’ll learn him to be more careful.
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Sounds like a viral marketing scheme to me. Yeah, the real knife left next to the prop, sure, that didnt happen on purpose.
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If he had stabbed his coworker to death, I could only imagine the agony Jimmy Smits would be going through at this time. Wow, that’s just too close to call and I am sure he’s still sweating bullets and reliving the moment as we speak.
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Awesome collection of all the things I love to read lolz.
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I cant disagree with some of the thing you wrote.
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Not sure where they got the part about Jimmy Smits stabbing the man repeatedly for 16 seconds. According to the actor Chase, himself. “I heard fellow actor Michael C. Hall yelling at Jimmy to stop–but it was too late,” said Chase. I felt the thud in my chest. I didn’t have on a metal breastplate like a lot of actors do in a scene like that.”
In the preshoot takes, Smits had missed the small piece of plastic protection “eight out of 10 times,” but was fortunate enough to aim correctly when the cameras were rolling.
“I really thought I’d been stabbed in the heart, but I didn’t have a scratch,” said Chase. “Jimmy was devastated and couldn’t stop apologizing. I told him, I felt more sorry for him than me.”
Still a terrible accident was avoided.
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