Jake Gyllenhaal’s injury while shooting ‘Road House’ with Conor McGregor

Released on streaming services in March, Doug Liman’s remake of the 1989 action film Road House brought in over 50 million viewers during its first two weekends - a Prime Video record. The movie has received mixed reviews with a viewer rating of 53 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with one noting that while it has the tough task of measuring up to the original, the 2024 update has “enough bone-breaking action to satisfy hardcore B-movie aficionados”.

Gyllenhaal and McGregor trade blows in ‘Road House’

The move stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor. The Oscar nominee plays Elwood Dalton, a retired UFC fighter who ends up working as a bouncer at a bar in Florida, while the historic Irish fighter plays one of his enemies.

Given the rivalry of their characters on the big screen, Gyllenhaal and McGregor were immersed in a number of brutal fight scenes. While both have highlighted their mutual professionalism in making such sequences possible, the Donnie Darko actor, opened up on an injury he suffered on set in an interview with Dax Shepard.

What injury did Jake Gyllenhal suffer in Road House?

According to the 43-year-old actor, he was filming a fierce confrontation with McGregor when he got injured. During the scene, which involved a lot of broken glass, Gyllenhaal landed his hand on a bar and a piece of glass went through his glove and straight into his palm. The actor ignored the pain and continued with filming, as it was a sequence they had rehearsed on multiple occasions and he knew that particular take “was the good one.”

Once the director called to cut, Gyllenhaal let out a scream and noticed that his entire arm had swollen. After a medical checkup, the actor discovered he had acquired a staph infection. Fortunately, it healed quickly and filming was able to continue.

Gyllenhaal cuts his hand during filming

“We’re fighting on the floor, fighting around tables, we’re fighting around glass,” the actor said, remembering that he then “put my hand on the bar” and placed it onto “f***ing straight glass”.

“I felt the glass going in my hand. I remember the feeling [and] went, ‘That’s a lot of glass,” Gyllenhaal said on Shepard’s podcast. “My whole arm swelled up, and it ended up being staph”.

A staph infection, if not treated properly, can be dangerous, Staph infections are caused by bacteria called staphylococcus and can cause “more serious infections, such as blood poisoning and toxic shock syndrome” according to the British National Health Service website. “Gratefully”, added Gyllenal, “I was really, really trying to take care of everything that we did and my body while we were doing it. I didn’t sustain any major injuries.”

The 2024 Amazon MGM Studios remake of ‘Road House’ was released on 21 March and drew 2.3 million household viewings within the first three days. Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios said, “It’s great to see the film taking off with both fans of the iconic original as well as a huge turnout from new audiences.” The film also features performances by Post Malone, Daniela Melchoir and Lukas Gage.