In Apocalypto (2006), Mel Gibson said Rudy Youngblood was genuinely running from a real jaguar:
“The jaguar was completely wild. They can’t be trained...They thought we put the jaguar in later, but it was actually chasing the guy.”
Youngblood, who performed most of his own stunts, said he picked up “a lot of bangs and bruises, and separated shoulders and fractured bones,” but “you just take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.”