Harry Potter stunt co-ordinator ‘still blames himself’ for incident that left actor paralysed

A stunt co-ordinator who worked on the Harry Potter films has admitted he 'still blames himself' for an accident that saw an actor left paralysed.

Greg Powell was the stunt co-ordinator on all eight of the movies in the popular franchise but it was during the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that a stunt double's life was changed forever.

In 2009, David Holmes was left permanently paralysed from the chest down after he was hurled into a wall and broke his neck during filming. He underwent several surgeries and spent seven months in hospital after the incident.

In a Sky documentary, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, the story of the former stuntman is explored, including the aftermath of his accident and the start of his career.

Powell emotionally reflected on his guilt about being the coordinator behind the stunt that caused Holmes' injuries, saying: "Seeing him really pains me, it really does. I do struggle, I hate it knowing as he was, climbing and jumping."

David Holmes suffered a spinal injury after breaking his neck while working as a stunt double (SKY)

Powell, who has also worked on Avengers: Age of Ultron, reunited with Holmes for the documentary, which also featured Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

Reflecting on the reunion, Powell told the documentary's director: "I hate seeing him like that, in the nicest way I wish I'd never met him when I see him like that because he wouldn't have been like that if hadn't met me.

"I was the last one to touch him when he could walk and the first one to touch him when he couldn't walk, and that's an awful feeling."

When asked if he could see what happened as an accident and 'cut himself some slack', the stunt co-ordinator admitted: "I try to, I still blame myself because I was there.

"But he still talks to me, he still loves me I think, so that's the main thing."

Holmes' friendship with Radcliffe also features heavily in the documentary, with the actor opening up about how the former stunt double helped him forge his path after Harry Potter came to an end.

"I've been doing this thing really consistently and I had all that structure, and then all of a sudden that was gone and I very quickly went into free fall.

"It was something that I talked to Dave about and he was, as he always had been, a really good guiding star in all of that. He said 'I'm not going to let you throw the opportunity you've got away'," Radcliffe, also an executive producer on the documentary, recalled.

Daniel Radcliffe and David Holmes worked together on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (SKY)

Following his accident, Holmes has carved out a career as a podcast host, author and activist. He released his memoir, The Boy Who Lived, in 2024.

He and two friends, who are also paralysed, are the co-founders of Ripple Productions and host the podcast Cunning Stunts, along with Radcliffe.

The podcast sees the group interview other stunt actors to raise awareness of the dangers they face.