Russian actress Karina Razumovskaya suffered a severe panic attack during the filming of the movie The Forest, she revealed on Friday, November 6.
The star described the incident as a difficult emotional ordeal that occurred while she was shooting an intense deluge scene created with the help of fire engines.
According to the actress, director Hamlet Dulyan wanted to recreate the wild downpour seen in the Hollywood film Forrest Gump, in which water cascades from every possible angle. To produce the effect on set, the production crew brought in fire trucks to pump immense amounts of water over the cast.
Simulated rainstorm on set
Razumovskaya explained that she and her fellow actors were required to lie flat on the ground as if unconscious. She said the volume of falling water became so overwhelming that she was unable to breathe or hear anything around her.
The actress noted that she has suffered from a fear of drowning since childhood that she remains unable to overcome. In that moment, she said, she genuinely believed she was going to die, which triggered a sudden panic attack.
The disorienting conditions left her completely unaware of what was happening on the set. She reported that she could hear neither the director calling for action nor the command to stop, leaving her unsure whether the camera was still rolling, as reported by the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
Television stardom and career
Razumovskaya is widely recognized across Russia for her lead role as Captain Victoria Rodionova in the popular detective drama series Silver Spoon, also known as Mazhor. A graduate of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts in Saint Petersburg, she has built an extensive career spanning major theater productions and feature films.
Her disclosure about the psychological strains of filming follows similar revelations from other screen stars. British actress Emilia Clarke previously discussed dealing with survivor guilt after suffering two separate brain hemorrhages following the first season of the fantasy drama Game of Thrones.
