Olivia Wilde recalls near-drowning while filming Turistas

Olivia Wilde says she nearly drowned while filming the 2006 horror movie Turistas after a scene underwater went wrong.

Speaking with Seth Rogen in Entertainment Weekly’s “Lie vs. Lie” video series, Wilde said she trained in free diving for the role and had to swim through underwater tunnels while holding her breath. During one take, she became disoriented and accidentally inhaled water instead of air from trapped bubbles.

Because her character was supposed to be drowning, the crew initially believed she was acting. Wilde said a camera operator realized she was in real danger, dropped the camera, and pulled her to safety.

When Rogen asked whether the footage appeared in the finished film, Wilde replied that it likely did because it was the only usable take.

Turistas follows a group of American backpackers in Brazil who uncover an organ-trafficking operation. The film also stars Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, Beau Garrett, Agles Steib, Desmond Askew, and Max Brown.

During the same interview, Rogen shared a story about injuring his hand after deliberately putting it into a spinning ceiling fan as an adult. He said the accident tore skin from his finger and left him bleeding heavily, prompting his wife to question why he had done it.

Wilde and Rogen currently star together in The Invite, which is now playing in theaters.