Idris Elba thought he’d been shot by Denzel Washington on set of American Gangster

American Gangster director Ridley Scott has revealed Idris Elba “thought he’d been shot” during filming of his execution scene.

In an intense case of art imitating death, American Gangster director Ridley Scott revealed how Idris Elba thought he’d been shot on the set of the 2007 crime flick – all while using a prop gun without any blanks.

The startling event in question occurred during a scene in which budding drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) executes drug dealer Tango (Elba).

However, to elicit a realistic reaction from Elba, 49, the Blade Runner director instructed the actor to lean his head against the barrel so he’d be surprised by the recoil.

Fortunately, the safety-conscious Scott, 83, employed a plugged-up prop firearm without any blanks to prevent any mishaps – such as the case of the late actor Jon-Erik Hexum, who died after discharging a blank pistol against his temple as a gag while filming Cover Up in 1984.

“I said to Idris, ‘Listen, when he puts the gun to your head, lean on the gun,’” the Oscar-winning Alien director told the Daily Mail. “Because, by the way, this is a gun with a solid barrel, there is no aperture, I would never risk it – but when you pull the trigger, there’s no blank, nothing.”

Elba heeded Scott’s direction, and Washington “pulled the trigger and it goes bang. Idris thought he’d been shot and dropped to the sidewalk and said, ‘I’ve been shot!’” the director said.

Idris Elba in American Gangster.

So how did the Prometheus director achieve the recoil effect with a blocked barrel and no rounds in the chamber?

Paul Biddiss, a movie weaponry adviser who works with Scott, explained that the director employed something called “a UTM round,” which can go in the barrel of a completely plugged gun and still cause “blowback”.

“It is like a small silver case with compressed air that reacts. It can be used repeatedly for a recoil effect each time,” the armour expert explained. “It’s quite often used in close-up execution shots in films.”

It’s the perfect technique for Scott, who Biddiss described as “hot on safety”.

Elba thought he had been shot while filming the scene.

Unfortunately, prop gun safety has become a major concern following the recent incident involving Alec Baldwin.

The embattled actor was included in a lawsuit accusing him of purposefully firing the handgun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust in October.

“Alec Baldwin intentionally, without just cause or excuse, cocked and fired a loaded gun even though the upcoming scene to be filmed did not call for the cocking and firing of a firearm,” script supervisor Mamie Mitchell claimed in the suit.

She claimed that every firearm safety protocol on set was ignored, such as the presence of live ammunition, and that actions taken that day “were against all industry norms”.

Baldwin was named as one of nearly two dozen defendants in the complaint.

He has stated that he was told the gun was “cold” when being handed it, meaning it did not contain any live ammunition.

This story originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Idris Elba thought he’d been shot by Denzel Washington on set of American Gangster