Gerard Butler Unknowingly Rubbed Acid All Over His Face On The Set Of His New Movie 'Plane'

Hollywood star Gerard Butler recently revealed that during filming for the upcoming movie "Plane," he accidentally rubbed a handful of acid on his face. The actor said he didn't realize what had happened until his face and throat started burning painfully, which caused a commotion on set.

The film crew realized it was phosphoric acid, which then caused confusion on how best to remove the fluid. Butler further shared that the burning sensation lasted for several hours and joked that it was, however, great for the film's sequence.

In "Plane," which premiered on January 13th, Butler plays a pilot who has to make an emergency landing in a hostile area. He's then forced to work with an accused murderer being transported on the plane to rescue kidnapped passengers.

Read on to find out more.

During an appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," Butler shared the story of an accident that occurred while filming his upcoming movie "Plane." In the movie, Butler plays the role of a tough pilot who, in one scene, does some work on the plane's landing gear. It was during the filming of this scene that the accident occurred.

He said per Insider, "I'm sticking my hand in between these two wheels, kind of pretending that I know what I'm doing. Every time I bring my hands out, they're covered in blood and green fluid, right? And I'm like, 'I don't know what this green fluid is.'" The actor then said it was when he rubbed the sweat off his face that the fluid transferred onto his skin.

Butler also remarked, "Suddenly, it's in my throat. It's in my mouth. It's up my nose. It's in my eyes. It's burning my face, and I mean burning." To make matters worse, Butler said the day of the accident was their hottest day in Puerto Rico, which added heat to the burning acid sensation.

Butler shared that the film crew quickly realized the green fluid was actually phosphoric acid, which then caused commotion regarding the best way to remove the acid and stop the burning sensation on Butler's body. Some crew suggested he wash his face immediately, while others protested, saying it would aggravate the sensation.

According to the official CDC website, a person affected by phosphoric acid should wash the affected area immediately and get professional medical help. The airline pilots consulting on the "Plane" set were reportedly screaming "No!" at the idea of washing Butler's body with water to treat the acid burns.

During the interview, Butler also joked that the acid sensation on his face eventually lasted for several hours. He did joke, however, that the accident was ultimately good for the film's sequence. The "London Has Fallen" actor said, "Anything for the work!" which caused Meyers and the audience to start laughing.

Meyers also joked that with the intense COVID-19 protocols on film sets, there were "probably 10 people there making sure nobody gave each other COVID and not one person keeping you from putting acid on your face." Butler also laughed heartily at the host's joke.

In "Plane," Butler plays the role of tough pilot Brodie Torrance that's forced to make an emergency plane landing in hostile lands. The film made its debut in theaters on January 13th and also features Tony Goldwyn, Mike Colter, and Yoson Ann. It was directed by Jean-François Richet.

According to the film's synopsis, "Torrance saves his plane's passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island -- only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When dangerous rebels take most of the passengers' hostage, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare, an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI."