Viggo Mortensen breaking his toe kicking a helmet in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is one of pop culture’s most memorable behind-the-scenes fun facts, and now Andor has given Star Wars fans their own version of this moment. Star Wars has a reputation for keeping its actors safe during filming, but things can still happen. As was the case with Mortensen’s emotional portrayal of Aragorn’s despair leading to two broken toes, one cast member on the set of Andor also accidentally suffered an injury.
Speaking on a Star Wars livestream, Ruescott Melshi actor Duncan Pow revealed that star Diego Luna accidentally pulled his hamstring during a running scene in Andor season 1. Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy provided commentary on the complications of filming Melshi and Cassian’s escape scene as a whole, which led to Pow revealing what happened to Luna during filming. Pow himself had just suffered an injury off set not long before filming.

The comparison between Luna’s pulled hamstring and Mortensen’s famous broken toes scene comes from JuliberryLIVE, who proclaims that she intends to tell this fun fact to those who watch the show with her, like how LOTR fans often point out Mortensen’s broken toes in The Two Towers. Broken toes may be quite different from a pulled hamstring, but can be a worthy comparison in this case. Both are painful injuries that the actors suffered while giving a scene their all in two beloved franchises.

Star Wars’ Behind-The-Scenes Fun Facts Are Often Their Best

It’s Fun To Know More About A Project’s Production

There’s no doubt that Star Wars fans love a good behind-the-scenes fun fact. One such example includes Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen making the youngling in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith back away in fear by yelling “Boo!” A more recent example is the beloved “Jeans Guy” who accidentally appeared in the background of The Mandalorian season 2, episode 4 “Chapter 12: The Siege,” though he was promptly edited out upon fans noticing the accidental new character’s presence.
These Actors Are 100% Committed To Their Roles

These Accidental Injuries Prove That

What this particular example from Diega Luna proves, however, is that actors like him and even Mortensen in another franchise are very committed to their roles, and are willing to do whatever it takes to pull off a scene. This commitment is what makes these moments work; the desperation Melshi and Cassian have to get away is evident in the way they run in this scene on Narkina 5. The same can be said for Mortensen, too, who displayed a heartbreaking amount of despair with both the kicked helmet and his agonized scream.

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I expect there to be no shortage of these kinds of intense, committed performances from the rest of Andor’s cast as well in season 2. The cast and crew of Andor have been teasing that season 2 will take things to the next level, and Gilroy isn’t shy about praising the cast’s performances, which helped to sell every single scene. Though I hope no one got hurt making Andor season 2, I have to say it is fun to have our own version of the iconic Mortensen broken toes scene (thank you, Diego Luna, for your sacrifice).
Source: Star Wars, JuliberryLIVE

TV Show

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Andor

10/10

Release Date

September 21, 2022

Network

Disney+

Showrunner

Tony Gilroy

Directors

Susanna White

Writers

Dan Gilroy