Last year was a tough one for Dylan O'Brien, as the 26-year-old was severely injured while filming "The Maze Runner" sequel and had to endure an extended recovery process.
In a new interview with People, the actor talked about how the accident was the worst experience of his life, and he shared what the journey toward recovery was like.
On the accident
O'Brien, who's doing press for his new film American Assassin, opened up about what he remembers from the accident. According to what he told People, he remembers some details of what happened, although he declined to go into the specifics.
"I was in a really fragile, vulnerable state," he shared.
The accident occurred in 2016, while they were filming The Death Cure in Vancouver, Canada. Dylan explains that he remembers what happened during the impact, but that everything after that is a bit "foggy." However, he says he learned that the human body is "more aware of what happened to you even if you are not." He says that some reactions from your body are instantaneous and that sometimes you are not aware (mentally) of what happened in the moment until sometime later.
The actor also talked about what his recovery process was like. He said that his family, specifically his parents and his girlfriend, actress Britt Robertson, gave him the support he needed to get through the traumatic experience.
"My parents and my girlfriend were by my side the whole way.", he explained.
Training for his new movie American Assassin also helped him feel better. He had to go through a lot of physical and mental preparation for the role, and he says that it helped him test his limits after what he went through.
On recovery
O'Brien shares that there was a period of time that he didn't think he was going to be able to go back to acting.
He said that during his time in recovery he was doubting and questioning his future in Hollywood.
He goes on to explain that while this was an absolutely horrific experience to go through, he did learn a lot from it and it helped him grow.
Recovery was a tough experience as well, as he had to focus on getting better physically and mentally.
"I learned a lot about a traumatic situation and what it does to you. It really brings you closer to your family and loved ones."
At the moment he's focusing on living and appreciating things as they are. He's trying to spend more time with the people he loves, and he's working to stop worrying so much about people taking pictures of him when he's out in public, he confesses it used to bother him to the point that he let that stop him from going out and enjoying himself.
