Actress and filmmaker Olivia Wilde has revealed that co-star Walton Goggins saved her life during a horse accident on the set of the 2011 film Cowboys & Aliens.
In an interview on the Armchair Expert podcast, Wilde described the near-fatal incident that occurred during a high-speed desert chase scene.
Accident During Desert Chase
The scene involved dozens of horses positioned directly behind the main cast members, including Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.
Wilde's horse leaped over an unseen ditch, causing her to fall violently to the ground into a blind spot covered by dust.
"I hit my head and my back, and I was lying on the ground but, unfortunately, I was on the other side of this kind of lip of dirt, meaning that all horses behind couldn't see me," she said.
"I remember having my ear to the ground, and I could hear it, and it sounded like thunder, like they were coming towards me."
Wilde thought the situation would be fatal, saying, "It'll be quick. It'll be like, pulverized applesauce.
Out."
Goggins' Heroic Act
Walton Goggins witnessed the fall and immediately maneuvered his own horse sideways to block the oncoming stampede.
"Walt Goggins had seen me ahead of him and in a split-second thought to turn his horse sideways right in front of me and let everyone kind of bash into him," Wilde recalled.
"He's a great rider, so he was able to handle that.
People split the two sides around us thinking he had just gone insane, but he was protecting my body on the ground."
Wilde concluded, "I owe him my life. It's crazy.
He's a real-life hero."
The actress is currently promoting her new comedy film, The Invite, which she directed and co-stars in alongside Seth Rogen and Penélope Cruz.
