Gerard Butler learned firsthand just how powerful the ocean can be.
While shooting his new surf-themed film, "Chasing Mavericks," the actor was hit by a wave and repeatedly pulled under in a near-fatal accident.
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"I remember most of it. We just got caught in the wrong place by some pretty big waves and we'd been in there for a long time," Gerard told Access Hollywood of the harrowing event at the "Chasing Mavericks" premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday. "I went down and didn't seem to come back up. And then when I did, it just kept taking me down and nobody could get to me."
The accident took place near a dangerously rocky area ominously known as "The Boneyard," at the famed Northern Calif. surf spot.
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"It was pretty - it was intense enough for me to spend the night in the hospital. It was tough," he said. "But it was amazing, by the way. I know it sounds weird, but it was a very profound experience."
The accident gave Gerard even more respect for surfers.
"[I recovered] as you, as these surfers do - which is why I love this movie," he said, when asked how he recovered from the frightening incident. "There surfers do this all the time. They're incredible people."
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"Chasing Mavericks" - which also stars Elisabeth Shue, Jonny Weston and Abigail Spencer - hits theaters on October 26.
-- Erin O'Sullivan
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