The actress and filmmaker Olivia Wilde had a traumatic experience behind the scenes of Cowboys & Aliens, simply because she almost died.
Some people may like her, but sorry: Cowboys & Aliens is indefensible. With a budget of $163 million and a worldwide box office of $174 million, the blockbuster was a major commercial flop. And anyone who saw the film knows you could also call it a critical failure. But did you know the casting process was one gigantic game of musical chairs?
In 2008, two years after the comic was published, Robert Downey Jr. heard about the project and landed the lead. He spoke to Jon Favreau, his director on Iron Man, who agreed to helm it. But everything fell apart two years later when Downey Jr. chose to make the Sherlock Holmes sequel instead of this sci‑fi western. Daniel Craig took his place, Harrison Ford came on board, and Olivia Wilde joined the cast as well.
Thus in 2011 Cowboys & Aliens hit theaters—a B-movie with an A-list cast and a disappointing result. And the shoot was memorable—unfortunately for the wrong reasons—for Olivia Wilde, who nearly died in a horse accident.
Into the Wilde Wilde West
On the Armchair Expert podcast hosted by Dax Shepard, Olivia Wilde recounted the incredible accident she endured while filming Cowboys & Aliens. She specifically explained that actor Walton Goggins (The Shield, The White Lotus) saved her life, and she isn’t exaggerating:
« Walt Goggins literally saved my life on this film, the way it happened. With Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, we were galloping at full speed across the desert, forty horses behind us. We were leading the charge to go fight the aliens or something like that.
After a moment, I saw a big ditch in front of us, my horse jumped over it and threw me off its back. I fell. I hit my head and my back, and I ended up lying on the ground. But unfortunately, I was on the other side of a dirt mound and there was a lot of dust, which meant all the horses behind couldn’t see me.»
L’actrice a alors cru que tout était fini pour elle et qu’elle ne se relèverait pas :
« Je me souviens avoir collé mon oreille au sol et avoir entendu un bruit qui ressemblait au tonnerre. Et je me suis dit—c’est dramatique—que ce serait rapide. Que j’allais être réduite en purée. Fin.
Walt Goggins avait vu ce qui se passait devant lui et, en une fraction de seconde, il a eu le réflexe de mettre son cheval de travers juste devant moi et de laisser les autres chevaux venir se heurter à lui. C’est un excellent cavalier, donc il a réussi à gérer ça. Les gens se sont écartés en pensant qu’il avait perdu la raison, mais en réalité il protégeait mon corps au sol. Je lui dois vraiment la vie. C’est fou.
Et plus étonnant encore : malgré cette expérience peu enviable, Wilde considère ce tournage comme « le plus amusant de toute sa carrière ». Elle précise notamment que c’est grâce à ce film qu’elle s’est liée d’amitié avec Sam Rockwell.
La prochaine réalisation de Wilde, The Invitation, sortira le 16 septembre dans les salles. L’histoire suit deux couples dysfonctionnels qui se retrouvent pour un dîner qui va évidemment mal tourner. Elle partage l’affiche avec Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz et Edward Norton.
