Amy Adams recalls rushing to help stabbing victim after learning emergency skills on medical drama
The actress reveals she used first aid skills learned while filming a medical TV series to help a victim survive
Amy Adams has revealed she helped save the life of a stabbing victim by using first aid knowledge she gained while appearing on a medical television series.
The Cape Fear actress, 51, recalled the terrifying moment when she and her family witnessed a man bleeding outside a restaurant in Santa Monica, California, after finishing dinner with her husband Darren Le Gallo, their daughter Aviana, 15, and her father Richard.
During an appearance on the SmartLess podcast, Adams explained that she immediately rushed to help after hearing people shouting that someone was dying.
“We were in Santa Monica, coming out of our favorite restaurant… These people were screaming and a guy was walking and they were yelling: ‘He’s dying!’” she recalled.
Adams said her husband noticed the man was covered in blood, prompting her to ask him to stay with their daughter while she and her father ran over to assist.
The actress discovered the man had suffered a stab wound to the neck and was losing blood. Luckily, Adams and her father had beach towels with them, which they used to help control the bleeding while waiting for further help.
She remembered staying focused on calming the injured man and encouraging him to remain still.
“I was like: ‘You need to calm your pulse rate. Take a deep breath in,’” Adams said, explaining that she tried to keep him calm because panic could make the situation worse.
The actress credited her brief role in the 2004 medical drama Dr. Vegas for giving her some basic emergency knowledge that helped her respond in the moment.
Adams later revealed that the man survived, and the two unexpectedly crossed paths about a year after the incident at a restaurant.
She recalled that the man approached her after hearing the story of the rescue and eventually realized she was the person who had helped him.
“He was all teary and he had his son with him. It was so crazy,” she shared.
While Adams was grateful the man survived, she admitted she never fully learned the details surrounding the attack. She said she only knew that the man had been with friends before the situation suddenly turned violent.
The actress described the experience as an unforgettable moment that showed how skills learned for a role could unexpectedly become useful in real life.