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J.J. Abrams Broke His Back Trying to Save Harrison Ford on the Star Wars Set

J.J. Abrams
J.J. Abrams broke his back on the set of Star Wars

Who knew J.J. Abrams did his own stunts? The Star Trek Into Darkness director, 49, stopped by the Daily Show on Thursday, July 30, and revealed to host Jon Stewart that he sustained one serious injury on the set of his next movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Abrams is leading the seventh installment in the Star Wars series as director, co-producer, and co-screenwriter, and committed to his craft even further one day on set. The filmmaker recalled the story when chatting with Stewart, 52, about Harrison Ford and just how resilient the actor is. 

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity Injuries

"The guy is like a real-life superhero," Abrams said of Ford, 73, who is reprising his role of Han Solo. "He should have that little Marvel logo above his name everywhere. He's unbelievable." 

Ford had one such unbelievable moment in the first half of last year, when he was injured on the set of Star Wars VII.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrities And Their Stunt Doubles

"We were actually filming a scene and there was an accident on-set," Abrams explained. "There was a hydraulic door that went down, he was pushed down, and his ankle goes 90 degrees. He's down there and he's toughing it out. He's a superhuman being and he's literally lying there, making jokes. This door had gone down and I'm trying to help lift it up, because that's the kind of guy I am. So, I'm trying to lift up this door and I feel this kind of pop in my back. I'm like 'Oh, that's weird.'"

"So I go to the doctor a couple days later," the director continued. "And he goes, 'Oh! You have a broken back! I broke my L4 trying to lift this door… [Ford]’s a Miracle Man, and I'm like, ‘Excuse me, Mr. Darth Vader, could you be more evil?'"

Related: PHOTOS: Best and Worst Movie Remakes

Watch Abrams spill on his on-set injury in the video above! 

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