HBO has responded to concerns raised over its safety standards for the stunt team throughout its hit series ‘Game of Thrones.’
Questions were raised over the studio’s stunt safety standards after Deadline reported having a video showing an on-set accident.
The report about the leaked video from the ‘Game of Thrones’ set came after reports emerged about HBO’s $9.6 million payout to stunt performer Casey Michaels.
While the publication stated that the video was not released to protect the source’s identity, it did reveal that the stunt accident involved performer Andy Pilgrim.
According to the report, Pilgrim suffered an ankle injury during production on the Season 5 episode Hardhome.
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The stunt, designed and executed by HBO stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam, reportedly resulted in Andy Pilgrim sustaining an ankle fracture.
As per the publication, Pilgrim can be seen lying on the wooden wall after suffering his injury when two vertical cables fail to control his fall from a 16-foot wooden wall.
Following the report, HBO defended its safety protocols for stunts during the production of ‘Game of Thrones.’
“We take these matters very seriously. Mr. Irlam is a celebrated and respected stunt coordinator and has an extensive history with HBO productions,” an HBO spokesperson said.
“As an expert in such a physically demanding field, we remain confident in his abilities and know he has always done everything possible to maintain the high safety standards that are required on our productions,” the spokesperson added.
In a statement issued by HBO, Irlam said: “The unfortunate incident involving Mr Pilgrim took place 11 years ago. The matter was resolved between Mr Pilgrim and the production company and there were no rulings or findings of fault against me personally. Mr Pilgrim continued to work within my team for two additional seasons following the incident, serving as stunt performer and stunt safety professional only. The accusations you put forward are simply untrue and unfounded.”
