Elizabeth Banks said Tuesday she had a near-death experience while on the set of her new movie, “Skincare.”
The famous actress described the ordeal on Tuesday’s episode of “Good Morning America,” and explained how an unsuspecting hero came to her rescue. “I had my first-ever choking incident,” Banks said, as she explained that she was eating lunch when she choked on “a little green pea.”
“I was alone in my trailer, I threw the door open, couldn’t make any noise – was so afraid,” she said, before adding, “It was terrifying.”
Banks described her struggle, and said everything changed when she opened the door, in a frantic effort to get help.
She said she “happened to see someone who said ‘Are you choking?’ and I gave him the sign, you know, I was like yes, and he came over very calmly.”
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She went on to explain how the first effort to save her life didn’t work.
“I, like, backed right into him, and he gave me the Heimlich maneuver – he had to do it twice!” she said.
US actress Elizabeth Banks poses on the red carpet as she arrives for ‘The Prelude to the Olympics’ at The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris on July 25, 2024, ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP) (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)
The famous actress shouted out to her hero, and made it clear that she was eternally grateful for him for coming to her aid.
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“His name is Julius. He is my guardian angel. Julius, I love you,” she said.
Banks went on to say that this experience raised a new level of awareness for her, and she is using her platform to encourage people to learn how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: Elizabeth Banks attends the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 10, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage) Getty Images
“Make sure you know how to do it,” she told the audience.
“Talk to your friends and family about it.”
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For those who are worried about hurting someone while executing the life-saving technique, Banks had a word of advice.
“They’re dying, so crack a rib if you have to,” the “Hunger Games: Mockingbird” star said.(RELATED: Jeff Bridges Describes What It Was Like To Return To Work After Near-Death Experience)
“I would’ve been fine with a cracked rib. I literally couldn’t breathe, and it was super scary.”
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