Hong Kong actress Kara Wai suffered fractured ribs after instinctively trying to save her co-star when his safety rope suddenly snapped during a high-altitude filming stunt.
The 66-year-old Golden Horse Award winner recently attended a promotional event for Keep The Beat, where she opened up about the frightening incident on set.
Wai revealed that she and her co-star, Chinese actor Zhang Youhao, were filming a wire stunt at a height equivalent to four storeys during a typhoon when she suddenly noticed his safety rope had broken.
Without thinking twice, the martial arts star reached out and grabbed the rope in an attempt to pull Zhang back to safety.
The effort, however, left her with two fractured ribs after the force of the sudden tug caused her to hit a hard surface.
Despite the severity of the incident – which was reportedly just a centimetre away from causing damage to her organs – Wai played it down as merely a “minor accident” when recounting it at the event.
According to a translation by AsiaOne Entertainment, Zhang said this about the incident at the event: “If Kara hadn't given it her all to reach out and grab me, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
But that was far from Wai’s only injury during the production.
The two-month shoot reportedly left her with a total of six fractures from three separate incidents.
Hong Kong media reported that she had already fractured two ribs during rehearsals before filming began. She then suffered another two fractured ribs while trying to save Zhang.
On the 10th day of filming, Wai fell while shooting a dance scene in high heels, resulting in fractures to two toes.
Doctors and the director reportedly urged Wai to take time off to recover after her injuries.
She nevertheless insisted on completing all her scenes herself and did her best to avoid using a stunt double.
