The Untold Dangers Behind The Making Of 'The Deer Hunter'

It’s been 40 years since the legendary film The Deer Hunter hit theaters, a movie that not only snagged five Oscars but also reshaped the way Americans viewed returning Vietnam War veterans. But here's a twist: one of the actors from the film, John Savage, now 69, is spilling the beans about just how perilous filming the movie truly was. So much so, that he and his co-stars, Christopher Walken and Robert De Niro, were inches away from losing their lives during production.

John, who played the role of Steven in the film, vividly remembers the life-threatening risks the cast endured just to bring the movie's powerful anti-war message to the screen. "There is no way any studio today would allow their stars or crew to face the risks we did making The Deer Hunter," John reveals to the UK’s Mirror. "The film is about life on the edge. The shoot was very much like that. None of us realized how much danger we were in — it felt like we were going to war just to make this movie."

John Savage's Unforgettable Experience

John goes on to describe how Robert De Niro was essentially the leader of the pack. "Bobby was our leader, and he, along with the director Michael Cimino, made sure this film would become something special," John recalls. But he's also quick to admit that the cast was incredibly fortunate to finish the movie without any major injuries. "Bob, Chris, and I are lucky to be alive. We almost got killed," John says. He elaborates, "Back then, that country [Thailand] was far from stable, and armed refugees and military groups were running rampant. Many of them saw us as a quick way to make a buck."

The Moment That Almost Took Their Lives

While Michael hired armed guards for the cast, one particular scene proved to be the most dangerous. This was the scene where John, Robert, and Christopher found themselves dangling from a bridge. Their metal safety cables were accidentally cut by a helicopter, putting them in a truly precarious situation. "We knew we were in trouble when the cables got cut," John recounts. "Amazingly, Chris, who is an athlete and a dancer, pulled himself up and into the helicopter, which flew up, leaving Bobby and me hanging from the sliced cable, absolutely panicked and fearing for our lives."