Exclusive: Injured "Spider-Man" Actor Talks
NEW YORK - It wasn't the break Christopher Tierney was hoping for. The performer is just happy he survived a terrifying fall during a preview performance of the new "Spider-Man" musical.
That accident was just the latest mishap for Broadway's most expensive production ever. After eight days in the hospital and nearly a week in rehab, Tierney spoke with Dana Tyler from CBS Station WCBS.
Spider-Man Canceled Wed. for Safety Adjustments
It was a horrific moment for a death-defying performer. "Spider-Man: Turn of the Dark" actor Tierney tumbled 30 feet before a stunned audience on Dec. 20, 2010. His safety harness was not correctly attached.
Watch Dana Tyler's exclusive interview with Christopher Tierney at 11 p.m. on CBS station WCBS.
He's recovering now from extensive injuries including a skull fracture, broken ribs and three cracked vertebrae. He described what went through his mind as he plunged to the floor.
"I was falling and then I saw, once I hit the darkness of the stage, I had to just turn it real quick so I wasn't going to fall on my head," Tierney says. "The last thing I remember was just going, 'Oh, god.'"
Tierney is one of four performers injured on the set of this $65 million musical which features 38 aerial stunts at speeds of more than 40 miles per hour. Last week lead actress Natalie Mendoza quit the show. She had suffered a concussion during a preview performance in November.
Some Broadway actors say the show is too dangerous and want to see the curtains close on this production. On Sunday the president of the actor's union released a statement, saying, "That Chris is not the first actor, nor the second, but rather the fourth to be injured on 'Spider-Man' is frustrating and maddening and, to some, infuriating."
He goes to say, "Live theatre, exciting theatre involves risk…Our staff is committed to doing whatever it possibly can to protect our members and to minimize the danger and the risk."
For now the show will go on. Tierny says he's eager to return to work. As controversy mounts the most expensive show in Broadway history will have to wait until Feb. 7, 2010, for an opening night.