Game of Thrones scene that ‘ended’ stuntwoman's career and led to $9.4 million settlement
Topics: Game of Thrones, HBO, Celebrity, Film and TV
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: HBO
Topics: Game of Thrones, HBO, Celebrity, Film and TV
A stuntwoman who claimed she'd sustained 'career ending' injuries from shooting a scene for Game of Thrones has since received a $9.4 million settlement.
Casey Michaels was one of the many actors that had been cast to play a wight - or a zombie - for the final season of Game of Thrones, which concluded in 2019.
In the episode 'The Long Night', the war between the living and White Walkers comes to a head, with all the characters we know and love coming together to stop the army of the dead.
According to The Independent, back in 2018, Michaels claimed that she, along with 27 other stunt performers, were told to walk off a 12 feet high roof 'as if unaware of the drop, in keeping with the zombie-like nature of the Wights', where they were supposed to land on a box rig below, consisting of cardboard boxes and mats.
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However, Michaels, who says she was the last performer to step off, claims she suffered injuries which resulted in 'serious fracture dislocation to her left ankle'.
Speaking to Deadline about the injury, she said: “I hit the floor and heard my bones breaking underneath me."
The actor claimed that her injuries led to multiple surgeries to insert a plate into her foot, as well as 'lengthy, intensive' physiotherapy, leaving her unable to work.
Michaels sued a Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiary for £4M ($5.3M) in 2021, and in her claim, she took particular issue with the boxes being used to soften her fall.
She claimed: “By their nature, however, the cardboard boxes are not durable and become damaged as each stunt performer lands on the box rig and also as each stunt performer climbs off of the box rig after landing.”
However, the subsidiary company countered this by saying that the box rig was ‘durable and compressed when a stunt performer stepped off onto the mattress and rolled away'.
Deadline reports that in a court statement, HBO also claimed Michaels' 'own negligence' was the reason for the accident, claiming that she'd failed to 'exercise the skill and care of a reasonably competent stunt performer'.
In 2023, Michaels received even more than her initial lawsuit as HBO paid her £7M ($9.3M), including legal costs, as part of a settlement with the company's lawyers offering an apology.
Deadline further reports that HBO also accepted primary liability, according to legal letters seen by the publication.
Rowley Irlam, the stunt coordinator in charge during Michaels' accident, also denied responsibility, despite him not being named as a defendant in the initial lawsuit.
He said in a statement: "As an experienced stunt coordinator of over 20 years, I have successfully and safely managed hundreds of complex stunt sequences across film and television.
"We put great care into designing stunt sequences with safety as the top priority. In the rare instances when an injury does occur, it is deeply upsetting for everyone involved.
“The unfortunate incident involving Casey Michaels took place seven years ago. The matter was resolved between Casey Michaels and the production company a year and a half ago. I was not a party in the litigation, and I was not involved in the decision to settle the claim.
"The settlement between the parties to the litigation does not reflect any admission of fault on my part. There were no rulings or findings of fault against me personally."
A HBO spokeswoman also told Deadline: “We are saddened to learn about the adversity Ms Michaels has experienced and take these matters very seriously. Mr Irlam is a celebrated and respected stunt coordinator and has an extensive history with HBO productions.
“As an expert in such a physically demanding field, we remain confident in his abilities and know he has always done everything possible to maintain the high safety standards that are required on our productions.”
UNILAD has contacted HBO for further comment.