# The 1972 death scene Gene Hackman was forbidden from shooting: “We can’t do that”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-1972-death-scene-gene-hackman-was-forbidden-from-shooting-we-cant-do-that/
- Published: 2026-10-22T19:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T20:28:14+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-1972-death-scene-gene-hackman-was-banned-from-shooting/
- Topics: Art, Culture, Cybersecurity, Technology

## Key points

- Hackman was barred from completing his own death fall.
- He landed on a net for the first part of the stunt.
- A stunt performer finished the drop into the water.

## Summary

Gene Hackman wanted to perform his own dangerous fall for Reverend Frank Scott’s death in the 1972 disaster film The Poseidon Adventure, but director Ronald Neame refused to let him complete the stunt. The story highlights Hackman’s commitment to performing on screen, even though he later described the film as a job that left him feeling ashamed of pursuing a Hollywood blockbuster.

Neame said the production could not risk Hackman being injured and unable to work. The scene was split into two shots: Hackman made the first part of the fall onto a safety net, while a stunt performer completed the drop into the water. The article also recalls Ben Stiller telling Hackman that the film had inspired his career, only for Hackman to call it a “money job”.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.