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How J.J. Abrams broke his back on The Force Awakens

Mark Newbold
By Mark Newbold
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While the whole world knew of the accident that put Harrison Ford out of action for a number of months while he healed – forcing the production of The Force Awakens to pivot, shoot what they could and wait for Ford to get back to full health – what’s not so well known is that in trying to lift a hydraulic door from the striken actor, director J.J. Abrams managed to break his back. Yep, you read that right, and Abrams discussed it on a recent episode of The Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM.

Sale
Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi: An Illustrated Guide to the Galaxy's Golden Age
Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi: An Illustrated Guide to the Galaxy's Golden Age
  • Hardcover Book
  • Horton, Cole (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 160 Pages - 03/21/2023 (Publication Date) - Insight Editions (Publisher)
$19.67 Amazon Prime
Buy on Amazon This is a paid link. Learn More. Price incl. tax, excl. shipping.  Details correct as at: 2025-08-01
SourceStern Show
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

While the whole world knew of the accident that put Harrison Ford out of action for a number of months while he healed – forcing the production of The Force Awakens to pivot, shoot what they could and wait for Ford to get back to full health – what’s not so well known is that in trying to lift a hydraulic door from the striken actor, director J.J. Abrams managed to break his back. Yep, you read that right, and Abrams discussed it on a recent episode of The Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM.

Sale
Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi: An Illustrated Guide to the Galaxy's Golden Age
Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi: An Illustrated Guide to the Galaxy's Golden Age
  • Hardcover Book
  • Horton, Cole (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 160 Pages - 03/21/2023 (Publication Date) - Insight Editions (Publisher)
$19.67 Amazon Prime
Buy on Amazon This is a paid link. Learn More. Price incl. tax, excl. shipping.  Details correct as at: 2025-08-01
SourceStern Show
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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