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Gerard Butler: Surfing Accident Was a 'Close Call'

Related: Gerard Butler
USMagazine, Friday, January 6, 2012, 9:25am (PST)

  • Gerard Butler is one tough cookie!

    The 42-year-old actor was seriously injured in a surfing accident in December, but the "Mavericks" star told "The Graham Norton Show" he wanted to get back on the board right away.

    PHOTOS: Gerard and more stars hit the waves

    "I was going to go back that day," he said. "I was actually in the ambulance and wanted to go back, which was a little crazy, but it's pretty addictive."

    Butler told Norton the accident "was maybe one of the few times that reports were not exaggerated. It was a pretty close call."

    PHOTOS: Celeb health scares

    The "300" star was swept under several gigantic waves that "just took me in, and I couldn't get up. It was pretty hairy."

    PHOTOS: More shirtless hunks

    On the positive side, Butler's accident helped him relate to the surfing enthusiast he plays in "Mavericks." "In the movie, I put in a scene about a 'two-wave hold-down' when you are down for so long that the next wave comes over before you get back up and that’s what happened to me," he explained. "I actually thought they will get me later and resuscitate me. They finally grabbed me just as another huge wave was coming in -- it was just like a movie! In fact, everything I talked about happening in the movie happened to me."

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