Olivia Wilde has praised co-star Walton Goggins for saving her life on the set of the 2011 sci-fi Western Cowboys and Aliens. The 42-year-old actress recounted the near-fatal incident on the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard.
How the Accident Happened
Wilde was filming a scene on horseback alongside Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, galloping at full speed across the desert with 40 horses behind them. She explained that after two months of filming, the cast had become overconfident and competitive. As she saw a six-foot ditch ahead, she assumed her horse would jump it, but instead, the horse bucked her off in a violent motion.
She landed on her head and back, but the fall left her on the far side of a dirt lip, invisible to the oncoming horses. With dust clouding the air, she lay on the ground with her ear pressed to the earth, hearing the thundering hooves approach. She recalled thinking, “It’ll be quick. It’ll be like, pulverised applesauce. Out.”
Goggins’ Quick Thinking
Walton Goggins, a skilled rider, spotted Wilde on the ground and made a split-second decision. He turned his horse sideways directly in front of her, creating a barrier that forced the other horses to split around them. Wilde said, “He was protecting my body on the ground. And so I owe him my life. It’s crazy. He’s a real-life hero.”
The actress emphasised that without Goggins’ intervention, she would have been trampled by the herd. She noted that other riders initially thought Goggins had “gone insane,” but his actions were a deliberate rescue.
Wilde’s Recent Promotions
Wilde has been promoting her new film The Invite and has appeared on several podcasts during the press tour. Earlier in June, she also discussed her past relationship with Harry Styles on the Call Her Daddy podcast, addressing the 10-year age gap and public scrutiny.
