Gerard Butler Opens Up About 'Painful' Motorcycle Crash, Newfound Appreciation For Life

A scary accident forced the Scottish actor to look back on his life.

Gerard Butler opened up about his recent motorcycle crash during an Entertainment Tonight exclusive at the Monday, Oct. 16, 2017 Hollywood premiere of his new film Geostorm.

"I was going along the road doing my thing and this lady decided to go from parked on the other side of the road to an illegal U-Turn and went right in front of me," he said. "I smacked the car, went flying through the air and did a somersault and landed and it hurt a bit."

Bystanders who rushed over to the action star were apparently shocked once they noticed who he was. "A lot of them watched that happen and they're like, 'That was you?!'" the 300 star said. "So I'm sitting down and my feet are killing me and my shoes are ripped and [one guy asks], 'So, how's it all goin'?' And I [tried to say], 'Well I'm supposed to be doing an action movie in about three weeks.'"

The 47-year-old was rushed to the hospital. "I have five fractures in my right foot alone [and] a bunch of stupid stuff, a torn meniscus," he explained. "But I'll be fine." While Butler admitted that the accident was "pretty painful," it also forced him to reflect on his life. "[The crash] made me really appreciate how precious life is because I could have landed any number of ways that would have taken me out," he explained.

This wasn't the first time the actor was involved in a terrifying accident. According to the Daily Mail, Butler nearly drowned while filming surfing shots for his 2012 film Chasing Mavericks, when crashing waves pushed him deep underwater. "I began to think 'Wow, I'm going to die making a movie,'" he recalled. 

"I've been in car accidents...I was hit by a bullet casing," Butler told The Hollywood Reporter. "This was I think by far the most dangerous in my life, I think that was the closest I've come."

Butler's upcoming thriller Geostorm will hit theaters on Friday, Oct. 20.