Gerard Butler Reveals “300” FIlming Saw Actors Frequenting The Hospital

Gerard Butler doesn’t just play action heroes — he lives like one. Reflecting on his career, the 55-year-old actor recently shared some of his wildest on-set injury stories during a conversation with Den of Thieves 2: Pantera costar O’Shea Jackson Jr. for PEOPLE’s “Comparing Notes” series.

Butler remembered the chaos of filming the 2006 epic 300, directed by Zack Snyder. “I remember every day somebody was getting taken to the hospital. You’d be doing a fight, you turn around, there’s a guy down there, a spear went in his eye. Another time, you turn around, there’s a guy over there who just fell, broke his ankle. I mean, it was insane,” he recalled.

The physical demands of portraying King Leonidas left a lasting impression on the actor, but they were far from his only intense moments.

Gerard recounted a terrifying experience while shooting Chasing Mavericks in 2012, where he learned to surf for the role. After being hit by massive waves, he was rushed to the hospital. “I thought I was done. They had to take me out, take me to hospital, put me out, give me the defibrillator. I mean, it was intense.”

The action star has also had some close calls with his costars. During P.S. I Love You, he accidentally left Hilary Swank with a permanent scar on her head. Meanwhile, on the set of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, Gerard nearly hit Angelina Jolie during a stunt gone wrong. “I was coming down, hanging upside down. I had to fire a gun, but I had no control over where this thing went. So I was just firing and I just missed it,” he shared.

Even James Bond himself couldn’t keep things under control. While filming a scene with Pierce Brosnan, Gerard ended up in a car crash. Recalling how James “drove me straight into a wall,” Gerard stated, “We hit a wall on a rooftop, 3-foot-high wall, full speed, in a Range Rover. It destroyed my neck, and it was after 300. I was already so beaten up in 300.”

Other filming mishaps included battling hypothermia in the freezing Icelandic Sea and overheating in Montreal while wearing a wetsuit under his costume in 110-degree weather. “They put wetsuits on us, but then we had to put our whole costume on, and it was 110 degrees,” Gerard said.

Despite all these injuries, the actor doesn’t regret his stunt-heavy career. “I’ve been shot by bullets, casings, explosions. A whole camera rig once fell down on Hilary Swank and I,” he stated, noting that he loves his job and “wouldn’t change it for the world.”