Stephen Amell Recovering After Surprising Back Injury on ‘Heels’ Set

Actor Stephen Amell is recuperating after suffering a back injury on the set of Heels, his Starz wrestling drama. Details of the stunt are unknown, but an on-set medic and the stunt coordinators immediately assessed the actor following the injury. The production crew was reportedly following all “requisite stunt safety protocols” at the time of the incident.

“While performing a stunt on the set of Heels this week, Stephen Amell sustained an injury to his back,” a Starz spokesperson said in a statement, per Deadline. “Following a medical evaluation, he is now resting and recovering at home in anticipation of his return to set.” The spokesperson said that the injury will not impact production and that work will continue while Amell recovers.

The incident occurred earlier this week in Atlanta, shortly after he returned to set following a prolonged absence. Amell previously turned heads with a surprising announcement about his health. He appeared on Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum and revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Amell discussed his experience and warned people around the world to be safe.

“I started to notice something on a Monday but didn’t have a … test result,” Amell told Rosenbaum. [I] phoned up the people at CTEH, had them come to my apartment, test me. Came back positive the following Wednesday, got tested again, came back positive again. But, frankly, at that point, I didn’t need a second positive test because those first couple of days, just really … they just, they just sucked.”

Amell continued to explain that he had taken all of the proper precautions. He wore masks and socially distanced, but he still tested positive. Amell knew that it was a possibility that he would get the coronavirus, and he felt immense pressure due to how it would impact the other people working on Heels.

“Take it from a guy whose only sense of anxiety and panic has been the concept of contracting COVID, and I’ve never worried about the lethal aspect of it because the numbers suggest that I will get it, and maybe I’ll be asymptomatic or maybe my symptoms will be light, and I will come out the other side and I will be okay, which is what happened,” Amell said. “My anxiety came from the idea that I would be letting hundreds of people down.”

The actor said that he had actively tried to avoid getting the coronavirus, but ultimately, his efforts were in vain. He still tested positive and missed three weeks of production. Now he will miss even more time due to an unforeseen circumstance.