Olivia Wilde has revealed how Walton Goggins once saved her life while they were filming Jon Favreau’s film. Cowboys and Aliens.
Wilde, who is currently promoting her third feature film as director, Invitationrecalled a terrifying on-set incident on Monday’s episode of Dax Shepard’s series. Armchair Expert podcast.
“Walt Goggins saved my life in that movie,” Wilde told hosts Shepard and Monica Padman in the 2011 space western.
In the film, set in 1873 Arizona, Wilde played a mysterious woman who joins the cowboys, while Goggins portrayed one of the outlaws caught up in the battle.
“I had a very serious horse accident and he saved me,” Wilde explained. “We were basically cantering – I’ve ridden horses all my life – I’m very confident in the English style of riding; it was Western, different.
Olivia Wilde says Walton Goggins once saved her life after she fell from a horse while filming (Getty)
Wilde portrayed a mysterious woman who arrived in the Arizona Territory in Cowboys and Aliens (2011) (Universal).
“And we were at this stage, about two months in, and we got really cocky. And we were pretty competitive.
“And it was me, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford galloping through the desert at full sprint. There were about 40 horses behind us,” she said. “And it was like we were leading the charge to fight aliens or something—whatever we were doing in this movie.
“We got to the part where I could see a big ditch in front of me, about a six-foot ditch. And I thought: this horse is going to jump over this ditch. And I’m in this Western saddle, no helmet, because I play like an old-fashioned lady.
“Spoiler alert: I was actually an alien,” she added. “Oh, I know everyone saw it, but still. And indeed, this horse jumps and confuses me in the most crazy way.
Wilde said the impact hit her head and back and left her on the ground, hidden behind a “ridge of mud” that hid her from the charging horses behind her.
“And there was a lot of dust,” she continued. “And I remember putting my ear to the ground and hearing it. And it sounded like thunder, as if they were coming towards me.
“And I had a thought—this sounds so dramatic—but I thought it would be quick,” she said of her impending death. “It will look like crushed applesauce. Exit. And I was waiting for this to happen.
“Then Walt Goggins saw it in front of him. And in a split second he decided to turn the horse sideways, right in front of me, and let everyone crash into him. And he’s a great rider, so he was able to handle it.
Wilde is promoting his third feature film as director, The Invitation, starring Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton (A24).
“And the people around us were divided into two sides, thinking that he had simply gone mad. But he protected my body on the ground. And therefore I owe my life to him,” Wilde concluded.
“Wow. “He’s a real hero,” an astonished Shepard finally answered.
“He didn’t even mention it when he was on the show,” Padman added.
Cowboys and Aliens was one of the biggest releases of the summer of 2011, it had an amazing cast and came just three years after Favreau’s success with the film Iron Man. However, it fell short of expectations, earning $174.8 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $163 million.
It also has a less than flattering 44 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fortunately for Wilde, Invitation — starring Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton — appears to be doing much better, boasting a 93 percent rating following its June 26 release.