"Dylan O’Brien ‘Raised Concerns’ About ‘Maze Runner’ Set and They ‘Were Not Listened to’ Before Near-Death Accident"
Dylan O’Brien said in a recent interview with Men’s Health that his safety concerns on the set of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” were not listened to or respected, which resulted in a near-death accident during filming. The actor was severely injured in a stunt gone wrong and left with a concussion, a facial fracture and other brain trauma. Production on the film shut down indefinitely.
“It was a life-changing incident. I’ve approached everything differently, you could say, particularly with regards to standing my ground on set,” O’Brien said reflecting on the incident. “It’s very commonplace in the culture for young actors to be controlled, and the way they strive to do that is by always being like, ‘Oh, don’t become difficult. Don’t be a pain in the ass.’ Or, ‘Are you complaining, are you being difficult?’ Things like that.”
As 'My Life With the Walter Boys' Returns for Season 2, Wattpad Boss Reveals How the Writing Platform Became a Hollywood Hit Maker O’Brien explained that one of the biggest takeaways from the accident was that taking care of yourself on set and looking after yourself should never be conflated to being difficult.
“I can look at that day and know I was a 24-year-old kid who was raising concerns about how we were approaching things, and they were not listened to, they were not respected,” O’Brien said. “And then what happened happened. And by all accounts, it was all pretty gotten away with, I would say, as well.”
“At the end of the day, in these spaces, you have your own back, and that’s the most you can rely on,” he added. “I know the person I am, and the character I bring to set, and the way I treat people and the way that I treat a workspace, and I know I’m not difficult. I know I’m not an asshole. I know I was trying to protect myself that day, and so I’ve just never forgotten that. That’s always rung true as being the thing to hold with me.”
The accident on the set of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” reportedly occurred during a stunt in which O’Brien was being pulled out of a moving vehicle. He was struck by another vehicle. The actor spent half a year in physical recovery as he contemplated whether or not he’d ever return to acting.
“I really was in a dark place there for a while and it wasn’t an easy journey back,” O’Brien previously told Vulture. “There was a time there where I didn’t know if I would ever do it again … and that thought scared me, too.”
O’Brien has recently been making the press rounds in support of his performance in Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night.” He stars as Dan Aykroyd in the film.
