Daniel Radcliffe breaks down in tears in FIRST trailer for documentary about his Harry Potter stunt double who was left paralysed in horror film set fall

Daniel Radcliffe broke down in tears in the first trailer for a new documentary David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, about his injured stunt double who was left paralysed after suffering serious spinal injuries on a Harry Potter film set.

David Holmes was rehearsing a flying scene involving an explosion when he plummeted to the ground while working on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in January 2009 at the Leavesden film studios near Watford. 

Daniel, who also produced the documentary, described his former colleague as a ‘really cool big brother’ with snaps showing the pair growing up together on set.

The actor,  34, then became emotional as he described the accident as ‘unfair’ saying his friend ‘shouldn’t have had to have gone through any of that’.

Former gymnast David described making the movies as ‘the best job in the world’ before being left wheelchair bound.

Emotion: Daniel Radcliffe broke down in tears in the first trailer for a new documentary David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, about his injured stunt double who was left paralysed after suffering serious spinal injuries on a Harry Potter film set

Film: David Holmes was rehearsing a flying scene involving an explosion when he plummeted to the ground while working on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in January 2009 at the Leavesden film studios near Watford (David, right, pictured with Daniel)

Recalling the incident he said: ‘I remember straight after breaking my neck I said “There’s no chance coming back?”‘.

Daniel then said despite this ‘horrible thing happening to Dave’ he doesn’t want to talk about his friend’s life as a tragedy.

Remarkable footage was then shown of David learning to live with his disability, helping others and raising money for charity. 

The film is being created by Sky and HBO Documentary Films to tell former actor David’s coming-of-age story of the teenage gymnast who developed a friendship with Harry on the movie set.

Footage shot over the last 10 years of David’s stunt work and personal life, as well as interviews with Daniel, friends, family and former crew will show how David has grown since his accident, and how he copes with adversity.

Taking to Instagram after news of the documentary’s release was announced last month, David wrote: ‘Finally, the day has come. I can now share with you all the secret project and four years’ hard work that has gone into creating this film: THE BOY WHO LIVED

‘Being a stuntman was my calling in life, and doubling Harry was the best job in the world. In January 2009, I had a stunt rehearsal accident that changed my life forever. This film tells the story of not just my achievements in front of camera, but also the challenges I face every day, and my overall attitude to life after suffering a broken neck.

‘In the turbulent world we find ourselves living in right now, I would like to quote Harry, “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided”.

On set: Daniel (L) who also produced the documentary entitled Film David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, described his former colleague (R) as a ‘really cool big brother’ 

Pals: The trailer showed snaps of the pair growing up together on set

Tears: The actor, 34, then became emotional as he described the accident as ‘unfair’ saying his friend ‘shouldn’t have had to have gone through any of that’

‘I am only able to live because of the united love and support that I am fortunate enough to have had. And it is thanks to this love and support that I am able to share my journey with you all.’

In 2009, David had been rehearsing scenes for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows but things went wrong as he was practicing a flying sequence in a harness.

An explosion, which was part of the stunt, caused him to fall to the ground.

Heartbreak: Former gymnast David described making the movies as ‘the best job in the world’ before being left wheelchair bound

Amazing: Remarkable footage is then shown of David learning to live with his disability, helping others and raising money for charity

Injured: After David his the ground he remained conscious but told crew members: ‘I can’t feel my legs,’ and was taken to hospital as fears grew that he had suffered a paralysing back injury (pictured in 2009)

A source told MailOnline at the time: ‘It is thought he may have been caught by the explosion and hit the ground very hard.

‘He told crew members who went to help him he couldn’t feel anything from the waist down.’

David, who had worked as Daniel’s body double on all the Harry Potter films before his accident, was initially taken to A&E at Watford General Hospital, but transferred to a specialist spinal injury hospital when the extent of his injuries became apparent. 

The Boy Who Lived will be released on HBO Max in the US on November 15. 

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