Gerard Butler Recounts His Close-Shave With Death During ‘Chasing Maverick’

American actor Gerard Butler recounted his close-shave with death, during the filming of his forthcoming release "Chasing Maverick."

Butler is known for featuring in many nerve-tingling action flicks and was also named as the Action Movie Star of the Year at the Taurus World Stunt Awards in 2007, for his role in the periodic film - "300". But during shooting for his new film, the "Ugly Truth" star had to face an action scene that was earlier not in film's script.

Butler had to deal with the violent waves, while surfing in far waters of Half Moon Bay in California.

The actor revealed about his terrifying surfing experience, that occurred when performing a stunt for "Chasing Maverick," which will hit screens on Friday. He was hit by giant waves and pinned underwater, making him panic to death as he was quickly losing his breath.  

"All of those things were going around my head, going 'This is it. If I panic now..." said  Butler  to USA Today. "I felt very present. There was something that felt very normal about it. But by the time I got to the point I got to thinking, 'I'm in big trouble now,' that was only a about a quarter of the way through it. It went on and on and on. And then I started thinking, I just wanted to scream. And I was so deep underwater. I wanted to scream 'Help, somebody!' Or 'Mom!' Or something. And yet I knew the second I did that I was done."

Butler said that he was twice attacked by the subsequent waves and pulled underwater, before he grabbed the hand of a crew member and pulled to shore. He was rushed to the hospital and released the next day.

"Chasing Maverick" is all set to release this week, is a movie inspired by a real-life surfer, Jay Moriarity. He shot to fame after riding on a big-wave mecca near Santa Cruz called as Mavericks.