All articles from AMC Blog »

A Patriot Games Accident Paves the Way for Sean Bean's Future

560patriot.jpg

Most moviegoers recognize Sean Bean as the noble Boromir from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Others know him as the dashing soldier Sharpe, from a popular British TV series. But it was his turn as an Irish terrorist opposite Harrison Ford in Patriot Games that made him a name in Hollywood. Furthermore, it was on Patriot Games where Bean picked up a permanent memento of his experience, one that he would use to his advantage in later roles.

The climatic scene of Patriot Games has Ford and Bean tussling on a runaway speedboat. Bean's baddie ultimately meets his fate thanks to a well-placed anchor, allowing Jack Ryan to escape with his family. It was during the filming of this scene that Bean gained the distinctive scar over his left eye -- Ford hit him with a boat hook, an accident that led to several stitches. For a pretty-boy actor like, say, Jude Law, such an act could diminish box office appeal. But Bean's injury only added to his rugged persona. And helped him land his role in Sharpe's Rifles. 

Fresh off Patriot Games, Bean was re-approached by the producers of the British series. Ironically, a defining characteristic of author Bernard Cornwell's Napoleonic War hero is a scar on his left cheek. Bean's run-in with a boat hook proved fortuitous -- his actual scar could be enhanced for Sharpe's. Bean's scar also lent a rugged, world-weariness to his Boromir and his Trojan War veteran, Odysseus, in Troy.

To date, Bean has starred in fifteen Sharpe films, with a new installment, Sharpe's Peril, forthcoming. While Bean may still have played Sharpe had he survived Patriot Games unscathed, Harrison Ford's clumsiness certainly made things easier on the makeup crew.

For a complete schedule of Patriot Games on AMC, click here.

Posted by Nick Nadel
September 20, 2008 12:11pm


Comments

default userpic
By Traci Moore on September 20, 2008 11:03 PM

Dear Nick,
Thanks for the notice of Sean Bean, one of the finest actors of his generation to ever grace the screen. The scar has indeed helped him throughout his career and it's nice to see someone give him the attention he deserves. I believe he was hit with the handle of an implement in the film, not a boat hook as often reported but no matter, he survived as did his career. Thanks so much.

default userpic
By GarryWert on December 27, 2009 10:21 AM

To date, Bean has starred in fifteen Sharpe films, with a new installment, Sharpe's Peril, forthcoming. While Bean may still have played Sharpe had he survived Patriot Games unscathed, Harrison Ford's clumsiness certainly made things easier on the makeup crew. watch taking woodstock online

default userpic
By RHee on June 14, 2010 4:14 AM

Very entertaining movie! A lot of people had a good feedback about this film. home interior design ideas

default userpic
By dofu on January 20, 2011 8:18 AM

He cameoed with other Hollywood stars in Moby's music video We Are All Made of Stars in February 2002.[16] In the same year, he returned to the stage in London performing in Macbeth alongside Samantha Bond.[17] Due to popular demand, the production ran until March 2003.

Bean's high profile and recognisable voice have created opportunities for voice-over work, especially in the British advertising industry.[18] He has featured in television adverts for O2, Morrisons and Barnardos as well as for Acuvue and the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States. He also does the voice over for the National Blood Service's television and radio campaign. For the role-play video game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, he voiced Martin Septim.[19]

Bean has completed a one hour pilot, Faceless, for US television. He has also appeared in Outlaw, an independent British production, and a remake of 1986 horror film, The Hitcher (released in January 2007); here he used an American accent again. He also starred in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, playing the role of Zeus, the king of Mount Olympus and God of lightning, in February 2010. Also that year, Bean starred in Ginault ads, playing the lead role of Pyke Kubic, a dangerous man determined to recover his wealth in a bad economy.Ginault makes mid level fine Swiss watches. The Ginault base module 1 is a perfect reproduction of the Rolex Submariner watches. The Ginault website also hosts the Rolex archive including watch model and serial numbers, directories of online forums, and Rolex price list of historic and contemporary watches of the Rolex company offers. CASH (CA$H), which co-starred Chris Hemsworth, explored the role money plays in today's hard economic times. Bean will also play the villain's twin brother, Reese. The film was directed and written by Stephen Milburn Anderson (South Central).[20]