For the first time, Oprah Winfrey has decided to turn her television show off in the United States, bringing 300 people to Australia for eight days of filming in the Australian Oprah’s Ultimate Adventure which will air in January.
Several Australian stars attended, including Hugh Jackman. The Wolverine actor from the X-Men films, who still refuses a stunt double, wanted to make a dramatic stage entrance, zip-lining from the roof of the Sydney Opera House to the stage.
The problem is that the actor was so distracted waving to friends and family that he applied the brakes too late as he approached the stage and slammed into a lighting rig on the stage. Filming was stopped for a moment while Jackman receive medical treatment in the form of ice and a glass of red wine. Fortunately, it was a minor injury and he finished the show with a swollen eye.
Jackman made it clear that he had made a successful practice run earlier, but said he was distracted by the 6,000-strong crowd. "I came down waving to everyone, looking over Sydney Harbour, saw my dad, the kids and you, went to pull the brake and then boing," he explained to Winfrey.
He continued the show with a bag of ice and said, “That was so much fun until the end," he said. Referring the Winfrey’s previous guest, he added with a laugh: "Bono was meant to do this, but they couldn’t afford the insurance.”
See the video for yourself – it’s lucky Jackman was not seriously hurt.