Daniel Radcliffe produces film about paralyzed Harry Potter Stunt Double

Unfortunately, the filming of the Harry Potter series wasn’t without its dark days. Warner Bros Studios London witnessed a terrible tragedy when Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double broke his neck during a stunt rehearsal for the penultimate film in the Harry Potter series.

In the HBO documentary, “David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived,” you can get a candid look at the life of Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double before and after the tragic accident in preparation for the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One, which left David Holmes paralyzed from the chest down.

David Holmes and Daniel Radcliffe had been working together for a decade before that fateful day and had developed not just a working relationship but also a true friendship over the years, despite their age difference — David being 17 and Daniel 11 years old when they first met.

The documentary explores David’s adventurous spirit that fearlessly led him into gymnastics and subsequently a career as a stunt double. With behind-the-scenes clips of his work on Harry Potter, the documentary highlights just how arduous and dangerous stunt work can be.

Even after the tragedy, the same life force that had fueled him to perform death-defying acrobatics proved to feed his resilience in the aftermath of that life-changing moment. Daniel Radcliffe’s deep respect for his longtime friend is evident in the film and helped to make sure this story was told.

Before your visit to Warner Bros Studios London, consider watching this film for a deeper appreciation of the difficult and dangerous behind-the-scenes work that often goes overlooked, but is essential in creating the movie magic we all know and love.

You can now stream this moving documentary on HBO Max in the USA and on Sky Documentaries or Now in the UK.