According to his manager, the accident left him with 20 to 30 stitches on his face. Photo: Kai Ko/Instagram
Taiwanese actor Kai Ko is recovering after a drone accident on set left him with 20 to 30 stitches on his face, according to his manager.
The star of upcoming Netflix blockbuster Agent From Above, a Taiwanese fantasy series, was being filmed by a drone for a close-up when the accident happened on Dec 27, said a spokesman for the production team.
“A few days ago, an accident happened during filming, which caused serious disfigurement of the face and (Ko) is currently undergoing treatment,” said Ko’s manager to Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News, which broke the news on Monday (Jan 9).
The spokesman for the production team said safety precautions were taken during the shoot. The drone’s blades were shielded by a protective cover and “there was no drone explosion or blades shattering”.
“Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, the drone accidentally hit the cheekbone area of Ko’s face and caused injuries,” the spokesman said, adding that investigations were under way.
While Ko recuperates, filming will continue for scenes that do not involve his character.
The actor, 31, plays a former drug addict-turned-medium recruited to do the bidding of a Chinese god in the series inspired by traditional Taiwanese beliefs, which started filming in November.
It is set to be the most expensive Taiwanese production, and is produced by Singapore’s mm2 Entertainment and Taiwan’s Good Films Production.
Directed by Donnie Lai, the show also stars Wang Po-chieh, Hsueh Shih-ling, Buffy Chen and Johnny Yang.
Ko is best known for his breakout role in Taiwanese coming-of-age movie You Are The Apple Of My Eye (2011), which won him Best New Actor at the Golden Horse Awards.
He was embroiled in a drug scandal in 2014 when he and Hong Kong actor Jaycee Chan were arrested in Beijing for marijuana use. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
