Cameron Performed CPR on Drowning Rat During Abyss Filming

During the notoriously perilous filming of The Abyss, director James Cameron found himself performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on an unlikely victim: a laboratory rat named Beady. The rodent had nearly drowned while being used to demonstrate the movie's revolutionary oxygenated liquid breathing technology, prompting Cameron to spring into action with emergency CPR techniques.

What started as a necessity to maintain the film's "No Animals Were Harmed" certification evolved into an unexpected friendship. Cameron later revealed that he and Beady developed a genuine bond following the life-saving incident.

An Unlikely Friendship Born from Crisis

"Beady and I bonded over the whole thing. I saved his life. We were brothers. He used to sit on my desk while I was writing Terminator 2, and he lived to a ripe old age. He didn't seem particularly traumatized, though I know the film is outlawed in the U.K. because of 'animal cruelty,'" Cameron shared during a recent interview.

This heartwarming moment stands as one of the few bright spots in what many consider one of cinema's most treacherous productions. The underwater sequences pushed both cast and crew to their physical limits, with multiple near-drowning incidents plaguing the shoot.

Production Nightmares Beneath the Surface

The movie was shot at a decommissioned nuclear facility, where Cameron himself nearly lost his life in a 35-foot water tank. Weighted down with 40 pounds of equipment, the filmmaker ran out of oxygen during a dive and made a panicked rush toward the surface.

A safety diver intercepted Cameron mid-ascent, knowing that the rapid pressure change could prove fatal. In his oxygen-deprived state, Cameron punched the instructor when the breathing apparatus wouldn't work, desperately fighting his way to air.

Lead actor Ed Harris faced his own brush with death during the climactic underwater sequence. Choosing to hold his breath rather than use the liquid breathing system, Harris later described the terrifying moment: "It was a b*tch. It was pretty hairy…For a brief second, I thought this is it."

No Hard Feelings Despite the Dangers

Despite the production's reputation for putting lives at risk, Harris harbors no resentment toward Cameron. "I like Jim. He's an incredibly talented, intelligent guy. In subsequent years after filming, it was always good to see him," the actor stated.

While Cameron doesn't look back fondly on his first deep-sea filmmaking venture, he credits the experience as essential preparation for his later masterpiece, Titanic. The lessons learned from The Abyss's underwater challenges proved invaluable for the 1997 epic's ambitious maritime sequences.