Stunt-filled movies are often a thrill to watch, but they come with a risk factor for the stunt actors. Kimberly Shannon Murphy, who worked as a stuntwoman in the 2007 movie I Am Legend, knows it better than anyone else. While the Will Smith starer movie was a super success, the movie fell short when it came to polishing stunts.

Murphy has worked as an actor, stunt, and body double several times before. But she recalled one behind-the-scenes moment that caused her to get seriously injured.

What caused a serious injury on the shoot of the Will Smith starrer?

Will Smith himself is an actor that went from doing comical roles to action movies. But even with modern equipment and precautionary measures, accidents do happen. Stuntwoman Kimberly Shannon Murphy appeared as a guest on the Stuntwoman React episode by Corridor Crew, wherein she spoke of her experiences working for these movies. During this, the actress spoke of the grievous injury she suffered while doing a stunt. “I went head first and scorpioned,” she revealed how she jumped from the second floor of the building and fell straight on her face first.

https://youtu.be/nowDY9wk2e8

In the I Am Legend movie, she was a zombie that jumps out the window along with Smith and another stunt actor. A descender was attached which held them 5 feet before the ground, but it malfunctioned. Although she wore a motion-capture suit, they did their stunt by themselves.

I am Legend was based on the 1954 novel by Richard Matheson of the same name. But bringing fantasy plots of this degree onto the screen often leads to changes, and this movie was no exception.

How I Am Legend villains differed from the book source

In the original book, the creatures that Neville fights were supposed to be somewhat like vampires. Instead, the flick portrayed them as zombies who are afraid of the sunlight. The creatures would be called Darkseekers, but the end result was not as good as expected.

The film received good reviews but was criticized for its bad CGI. Meanwhile, the progress and development of CGI are happening continuously, bringing higher expectations for I Am Legend 2. It will also hopefully bring safer measures for the stunt actors.

What did you think of the behind-the-scenes story of I am Legend? Comment your thoughts.