The Uncut Gems Stunt That Had Adam Sandler Fighting For His Life Both On Screen And In Real Life

"Uncut Gems" can get so intense in some scenes that it's easy for your stomach to forget it's watching a movie and not on the most thrill-packed rollercoaster ride of its life. A lot of that has to do with Adam Sandler's energized performance as jeweler and gambler Howard Ratner, the movie's protagonist. The larger-than-life role feels as though it was tailor-made for the comedian, and in a certain way, it was. Directors Josh and Benny Safdie cast Sandler as the lead of "Uncut Gems" four years prior to the movie's release due to a strong feeling shared by the brothers that the actor was the perfect fit.

The film certainly puts Sandler's character through his paces, too. Over the course of the movie, the gambler gets beat six ways from Sunday on several occasions and it can be pretty tough to watch. Apparently, it was hard to film too, as there was one particularly brutal "Uncut Gems" stunt that crossed the line and transformed into real-life danger for Sandler.

Even in the most action-packed and violent of movies, actors aren't usually in any real danger while filming. Unfortunately for Adam Sandler, the "Uncut Gems" star found himself fighting for his real-life safety during a certain intense moment on set. "There was one take when Sandler was getting choked and he was trying to tap out, but the actor thought that he was just being Howard so he choked harder, and Adam couldn't breathe," Josh Safdie told Entertainment Weekly in an interview. Fortunately, the crew's stunt coordinator identified what was happening and helped Sandler.

While getting choked until you can't breathe is a pretty harrowing experience, Sandler might very well have sustained even worse injuries throughout his time filming if it weren't for the words of "Uncut Gems" co-star Eric Bogosian. In an interview with Uproxx, the actor said that he advised the stuntmen playing the mob heavies that beat Howard up to be careful when shooting rough scenes with Sandler. "I was like, guys, you do understand that if you actually break his arm or something, then he's going to have to stop shooting?" he said. "We're going to have to close down the set, so you can't actually hurt Adam."

While the Safdie brothers hit the mark on achieving their gritty vision for "Uncut Gems," hopefully any future action movie scenes involving Adam Sandler involve far fewer life-threatening incidents. Keep the stomach-churning action on the silver screen, thank you very much.