That hurts - Actor cuts his throat on stage! Why?
By cornyman
@cornyman (1128)
Germany
December 11, 2008 12:17pm CST
An actor cuts his own throat live on stage in Vienna in the play of Mary Stuart.
He was pretending to cut his throat with a blunt "prop" knife instead with a real one.
Somebody might have exchanged the knifes, police officer told the press as they announced, that even the price tag was on the knife.
It seems the crew forgot to dull the new bought knife so that it wouldn't be dangerous. Other voices told the press perhaps someone wanted to kill the actor like a jealous rival.
More in the internet:
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/highlights/Actor-cuts-throat-in-stage.4781765.jp
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24784839-661,00.html
What do you think?
Did this happen purposely or just accidently or is there more behind this "accident"?
8 people like this
24 responses
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
26 Dec 08
Ouch! For a scene like that, the actor did not even bother to double check his prop before he used it prior to the scene?
How dumb could he be?
Or did he find his scene not releastic enough that he had to do it for real?
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
30 Dec 08
Well, I dunno. I mean, when you press a blunt knife to your skin, and comparing that to a sharp one, there is a difference in the feeling. No?
I guess in this actor's case, he was so into the character that he never noticed. That is why he went thru with the scene.
Thanks for the update though! You have a happy new year too!
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
26 Dec 08
Hello ahgong,
would you double check the knife each time when you played it already several times during the day and there it was dull.
I don't know if he can check it when you are live on stage and they put the knife on the table or give it him directly during the play. I think this is a quite difficult scenario.
But for luck it was a happy end, you can read it at my comment to Nr. 22.
Have a good weekend!
1 person likes this
@maygodblessu44 (7336)
• India
26 Dec 08
Hello my friend cornyman Ji,
It is a very sad affair, it is purely negligene by produce or stage/scene management team, who did not check before keeping that knife in question. I have both theories behind. Firstdoubt goes with rivalary. It has happened many times taht someone does not want particular actor, or someone else is interested and want to take over from taht fellow, so somebody knowinly repaced,untill next possibility ,evenlies with actor, who probably wanted o commit sucide and blame others, police should work on both theories. Has actor cme out from critical situation. May God bless him and have a great time.
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
26 Dec 08
Hello maygodblessu44,
is it a sad thing or just tragic, that this can happen to humans?
And yes, it's true, it seems like the prop manager didn't check the knife if it's dull.
The actor has gone back to work the next day. And the next week he worked on another stage already.
You can read the whole story under the response to Nr. 22!
Have a good day/weekend!
1 person likes this
@maygodblessu44 (7336)
• India
11 Jan 09
Hello my friend cornyman Ji,
I am very happy to note taht everything went well and you have followed and clearified point raised at No.22, it is very nice. may god bless you and have a great time.
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
19 Dec 08
Hello Lakota12,
seems like the story wasn't that dramatic like some newspaper wrote and other copied the story simply to sell more ;-)
No more police investigations, the female prop manager who bought the knife forget to dull it.
You can read the news with the link from comment Nr. 22!
Have a good time, a nice weekend and Merry Christmas!
@zahirahana (93)
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
owh no!!it hurt...i guess somebody behind all these...they try to kill the actor..
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
28 Dec 08
Hey zahirahana,
sure it has hurt him, but it was not that dramatic like the first newspapers reported it, the updated link on the story can be found on comment Nr. 22.
Please read this to know what happened :-)
Have a good time in myLot and a Happy New Year!
@Undertheoath (365)
• United States
11 Dec 08
Just to be apart from the crowd I am going to leave this down to negligence of the company to dull the product. I think this is a horrible accident. Plus, Why would you slice that hard with a prop knife anyways?
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
12 Dec 08
Hi Undertheoath,
i think usually the actor has to act like he would cut himself in reality, otherwise it would look too fake when he put the knife not directly to his throat and made the cut there.
Therefore i don't think it's an accident. If so it would be very careless of the crew to give the actor not a dull knife.
Have a better day :-)
@TrayBlaylock (630)
• United States
26 Dec 08
Oh wow. That seems to happen more and more. The props get mixed up with the real items. Hopefully the crew learned their lesson.
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
26 Dec 08
Hey Tray,
what's going on, falling back into the old habit? Writing only short responses instead of long quality responses ;-)
I liked what you wrote to one of the other member as she posted she earned so much by typing many lines, instead of typing many responses.
Keep on posting!
It's all about fun (ok, not when someone get the wrong knife). You can read the real story from his agency in the comment to Nr. 22!
@AmbiePam (93898)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Well, the suspicious part of me thinks the main actor wanted to gain a lot of attention and coverage of him and his role in the play. But the sane part of me says who in their right mind would risk it? I would have tested the knife first though. I guess he thought he was safe.
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
14 Dec 08
Hi AmbiePam,
something like this i had in mind, too after i read it the first time. But after a while i thought:
"Hmm, can't be if he wants to die then he would have done it properly."
I think, after he had played it already some times, there was no more need to test the knife again. But i believe in the future he will make this test.
Have a good weekend!
1 person likes this
@jessi0887 (2788)
• United States
12 Dec 08
THat is a horrible thing if someone intentionally did that. I hope he doesn't stop acting just for such an incident. I hope they find out who was responsible.
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
26 Dec 08
Hello jessi0887,
it sounds more than horrible, when something like this happens to someone.
He didn't stop acting. After the accident he played already the next day in the same show and in the next week on another show.
If you want to read the updated story, have a look on my comment to Nr. 22.
Have a nice time here and everywhere!
@Agathacoco (336)
• China
12 Dec 08
oh ,it sound crazy , I think nobody would like to use that unormal way to end one' life,it wasn't an accident.
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
25 Dec 08
Hello Agathacoco,
if you like you can read the new updated story about the knife and the actor in my response to Nr. 22.
It seems like it wasn't that dramatic like some newspaper mentioned it in their reports.
Hope you have a good time during Christmas :-)!
@cynthia0329 (44)
• Philippines
19 Dec 08
I heard this news in radio when i was listening to my favorite radio station, I think someone intentionally place the knife on the stage play.. When your acting in live audiences your attention is on acting to satisfy the viewers and to give the best and make it real as possible.
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
26 Dec 08
Hello cynthia0329,
seems like no one placed it purposely in the show. The female prop manager forgot to dull it.
For more information look at my response to Nr.22. There is the new news article about the backgrounds.
Have a good time, we will read from us again... next year ;-)
@pitsay (172)
• Philippines
12 Dec 08
Maybe someone did this to him, it was happen with a purpose. The staff could had not mistaken a fake knife with a real one. Or maybe this might be an inside job, only one of the actors who is also included in the play did this to him. Lucky for the guy that he was rescued and saved.
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
26 Dec 08
Hello pitsay,
for luck it seems now that the newspaper just needed a story. They made the accident too serious.
My comment to Nr. 22 shows you that the agency called these newspaper in the UK and wrote a less severe article.
Have a nice time here and everywhere!
@mylovelyd0el (21)
• Indonesia
12 Dec 08
i think that was an accident. No body want's to get hurt self.
@SuzyLong (775)
•
12 Dec 08
Oh my god, that's terrible. And all those people watching the play saw it happen. He must love acting thought because it says that he recovered in hospital and was back on stage the next night. I bet he was more carefull about which knife he used that time.
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
18 Dec 08
Hello SuzyLong,
perhaps he didn't wanted that the person who could replace him if he is ill gets a chance, when nobody knows if the "second" guy is the bad guy.
Perhaps the second guy would play better than him... i don't know if that's a reason for him to play immediately or if the news agency make it more dramatic than it was.
For luck he recovered, now we wait for the investigation report.
Have a great time in myLot!
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
26 Dec 08
Hello zamakh,
i also wish not to be there in such a play when such an accident is happening.
For luck it seems now the newspaper just made a big thing with this news instead of telling the truth.
You can read the new report from my response to Nr.22.
Have some fun in mylot!
@starr4all (2863)
•
12 Dec 08
I read this the other day. I can't believe someone would do that! I think it said that the actor lived so I hope they find the person who did it.
1 person likes this
@spoiled311 (5500)
• Philippines
12 Dec 08
hi cornyman!
whew! that was close! so how is he now? yeah, i guess there must have been a foul play there. i have also worked in the theater and there is no way that a real knife would be exchanged for the props. unless of course somebody did it on purpose.
oh well, i sure hope he is okay. that is a really weird happening.
take care and God bless you!
merry christmas! :-)
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
18 Dec 08
Hello spoiled311,
after the doctors helped him in the hospital, he could play already on the next day with a scarf around his neck.
For me it's a foul play, too, but we have to wait until the investigations are finished :-) No new news yet out :-(
Let's hope they find someone and don't just blame it on one of the crew behind the scene.
Have a nice time in myLot!
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
12 Dec 08
I don’t think this would be an accident…somebody purposefully left that knife and in the melee of stage productions, nobody noticed the swap. It could be a jealous rival, such things do happen and in the theatre where life props are used, it’s a distinct possibility.
1 person likes this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
12 Dec 08
I'm not so sure what could have happened here. Most serious productions always check and then check again to make sure that props are actually props and not the real thing when it comes to something as serious as cutting your throat during a scene. It just seems strange to me. Even if it were an accident the person or persons responsible for that job should be fired.
1 person likes this
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
18 Dec 08
Hello highflyingxangel,
i think the theater production in vienna is a serious one because the actor is well-known. I think he wouldn't play in a no-name theater :-)
The problem in this case is why did the check not work? or who didn't check it? or who could exchange the knife during the play? Who else has access to the knife?
We have to wait for the investigation's ending. Hope it'll be out soon.
Have a good time in myLot!
@Nhey16 (2518)
• Philippines
12 Dec 08
ohhh my... who knows if this was really an accident or it was done on purpose.
it was still a blessing that he did not die, but it hurts a lot. just a hit of needle in the finger would hurt so much, how much more the blade of a knife in the throat... 
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
18 Dec 08
Hello Nhey16,
oh yes, a needle in the finger or an injection from the doctor for a blood test can make a little pain already. But the thing that he has suffered must be really very painful.
He seems to be very ambitious when he played already at the next day again.
Let's see if there will be a solution on this case!
Have a nice time in myLot!
@rajesha20 (209)
• India
12 Dec 08
really feeling bad for the actor, some other mistake r revenge a actor giving life is very sad the person who did want to be punsihed
@cornyman (1128)
• Germany
18 Dec 08
Hello rajesha20,
i think if it's revenge, it's a very bad act from the person when he shows its jealousy in this way.
There will be always some persons who can't find another way than this. Only ourselves can change the world by acting in a good way and doing better each day.
Have a good time!
