Javier Bardem fell 15 feet while suspended 40 feet in the air while filming swimming scenes for 'The Little Mermaid'

• Javier Bardem fell 15 feet while filming scenes for "The Little Mermaid."

• Underwater scenes for the movie were filmed with actors being suspended in the air.

• Director Rob Marshall revealed that "We almost lost Javier."

"The Little Mermaid" director Rob Marshall revealed that while hanging 40 feet in the air, Javier Bardem fell 15 feet before stopping, scaring production in the process.

"We almost lost Javier ... it was in his throne room and he was up there maybe at least 40 feet in the air, and he dropped in one moment like 15 feet," Marshall told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Thursday.

Marshall said that Bardem played off the terrifying moment.

"Javier, who is the coolest man on the planet earth and the nicest man ever said 'OK. I'm okay. I'm good, I'm good, I'm good.' But it was like that was bad. But then you realize what we're doing was really challenging. We were never on the ground until halfway through the film," Marshall told EW.

Actors used a technique known as dry-for-wet to film underwater scenes for the mermaid movie. Actors would be hooked up to a harness while a weight bobbed them up and down in order to simulate underwater movement.

"The Little Mermaid" released to theaters on Friday, features singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel, along side cast members like Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, as well as Bardem who plays King Triton in the film.

Representatives for Bardem and Marshall did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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