Goodman Breaks His Silence on Recovering From an On-Set Health Scare
When you’re working on a film alongside Tom Cruise—who’s famous for performing his own wild stunts—you might expect the real danger to come during a high-risk scene. However, John Goodman’s recent on-set injury happened during a routine rehearsal.
In early March 2025, while practicing a scene, John Goodman slipped and fractured his hip, which left him sidelined for a month. Now, in his first public comments about the incident, which were made in interviews published around July 11, 2025, Goodman offers a candid update on his recovery and the toll the injury took physically and mentally.
A Routine Moment Turns into a Health Scare
Image via Getty Images/guruXOOX
Goodman’s injury happened during what should have been a typical rehearsal for his new film with Tom Cruise. The actor was blocking a scene alongside co-stars when the accident occurred.
As Goodman recalls, they had been working on the scene for over a week when, after a breakthrough in rehearsals, his legs unexpectedly gave way.
“I was passing Tom, and my legs just went on the floor. I came up parallel to the ground and landed on my hip,” Goodman said.
The injury was quite serious, too. Goodman tried to get back up, but when he couldn’t, he feared the worst. “I didn’t know I had fractured it until we got X-rays,” he explained. It kept him away from work for an entire month, from mid-March to mid-April 2025.
The Road to Recovery
Aside from healing physically, Goodman’s recovery also involved mental adjustments. The actor spent weeks away from set to focus on rehabilitation. For a seasoned actor like him, being out of action comes with the mental strain of being unable to perform.
“They operated the next morning, and so far, so good,” Goodman said. But the month of recovery was a challenging one. “I couldn’t do anything, and it was driving me nuts,” he admits.
With dedication to his recovery process, Goodman worked hard to regain his strength. The incident has also affected his approach to future projects. “I’ve got to be a little more careful now,” he laughs, acknowledging that his body may not bounce back as quickly as it once did.
Production Adjustments
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Joe polletta
As with any major injury on set, production had to be adjusted. Goodman’s absence caused a brief delay, which had to be carefully managed to minimize disruption to the filming schedule. Fortunately, the incident didn’t lead to major production setbacks.