The On-Set Incident That Went Down Between Halle Berry And Robert Downey Jr.
The following article mentions violence, including domestic violence.
More often than not, projects in the entertainment industry are going to wind up having some sort of drama behind the scenes, and the unlikely duo of Halle Berry and Robert Downey Jr. is apparently no exception to that rule. According to Berry during an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman" to promote her 2003 film "Gothika," the footage of which was shared by a user on YouTube, she and co-star Downey Jr. had an unfortunate incident while they were filming the thriller.
Describing the incident in question as "sort of a fluke," Berry confirmed Letterman's mention that Downey Jr. managed to injure her during a scene. Other reports from the time of filming for "Gothika," such as one from the Irish Examiner, noted that filming on the project did not halt; instead, it continued without Berry while she recovered (and this was in spite of her starring role).
Robert Downey Jr. broke Halle Berry's arm
Believe it or not, Robert Downey Jr. broke Halle Berry's right arm while they were filming "Gothika," as Berry told David Letterman (via YouTube). Recalled Berry, "It wasn't a day that, you know, our stunt coordinator was there, because it wasn't a stunt. Nobody was in danger. And we were having a really emotional scene, and somehow, he just grabbed my arm in just the wrong way, like a little — I guess."
In a separate interview published in the Kitsap Sun, Berry revealed that she had to film "half the movie" with her broken arm in a cast. Contact Music (via Yahoo! News) was told by a source that Berry had not made amends with Downey Jr. for his breaking her arm as late as 2012, with the source commenting that Berry did not think that Downey Jr. was truly sorry for what had happened.
This isn't Halle Berry's only on-set injury
Unfortunately for Halle Berry, having her arm broken by Robert Downey Jr. isn't the only time that she has faced a very scary situation in real life while filming a movie. People reported that, during the filming of "The Last Boy Scout" in 1991, Berry was allegedly hit by her boyfriend at the time hard enough that the unnamed individual punctured her left eardrum. That injury reportedly caused Berry to lose 80% of her hearing in her left ear.
While Berry has continued to encounter difficulties because of the 1991 incident with her former boyfriend, the actress said in a 2011 speech at a dinner for the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City that she chose to break the cycle of abuse that she had found herself in because of that incident in her previous relationship (via Essence).
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.