Amy Adams Recalls Chilling Incident, Says She Helped Save a Man's Life After He Was Stabbed in the Neck

Amy Adams is opening up about a frightening experience she faced years ago — one that may have helped save a man's life.

During her appearance on the June 22 episode of the "SmartLess" podcast, the actress reflected on a terrifying incident that unfolded while she was spending the day in Santa Monica, Calif., with her husband, Darren Le Gallo, and her father.

The conversation began after host Sean Hayes shared a story about helping a gunshot victim.

After hearing Hayes' experience, Adams admitted, "I get very focused. Like, everything becomes very focused in an emergency."

That led cohost Will Arnett to ask her to revisit a story he had heard before.

“We were in Santa Monica, coming out of our favorite restaurant..." Adams recalled, noting that her father was with her and Le Gallo at the time. "These people were screaming, and a guy was walking, and they were yelling, ‘He's dying!’ And my husband's like, ‘That's blood!’”

The Enchanted actress said the scene quickly became chaotic.

“He'd been stabbed in the neck,” she said. “So he was bleeding, and his friends were freaking out.”

Adams explained that she immediately jumped into action while her father worked to help the injured man. According to the actress, she found nearby towels and brought them to her father, who used them to apply pressure to the wound in an effort to slow the bleeding until help arrived.

Although Adams didn't witness the attack itself, she later pieced together what she believed may have happened.

“As far as I could make out, they had run into an old college friend and had some drinks and went to the liquor store," Adams explained. "They were going to go back to someone's house, and he just freaked out. But I don't know what the whole story is.”

Looking back, Adams was surprised by how composed she remained throughout the ordeal.

“I'm sitting there somehow going, ‘You need to calm your pulse rate. Take a deep breath in,’” Adams recalled. "I literally was just so focused. I was like, 'The more you struggle, the faster you're going to bleed. Just lay down. Let's elevate this.'"

Nearly a year after the incident, Adams received an unexpected update that left a lasting impression.

“A guy walks up to me in a restaurant,” Adams recalled. “He's like, ‘I heard a story that you and your dad were on the scene of a guy getting stabbed.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, that's so funny you heard that story.’”

As the conversation continued, Adams suddenly realized who she was speaking to.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, it's you,’” Adams recalled. “He was all teary, and he had his son with him. It was so crazy.”

Adams shared the story while promoting her new Apple TV+ miniseries, Cape Fear, which premiered on June 5.

The limited series serves as a fresh take on the classic 1962 film and Martin Scorsese's 1991 adaptation. In this version, Javier Bardem stars as former prisoner Max Cady, who seeks revenge.

One of the biggest changes in the new adaptation is that Cady's lawyer has been reimagined as a female character named Anna Bowden, played by Adams.

Discussing the creative decision, Adams said it added a compelling new dynamic to the story.

"I really love that aspect of it, this dynamic between them and the sort of power play. ... There's a depth and sort of a complexity to the relationship that we got to explore," Adams told ABC Audio.

She also explained that making the attorney a mom created additional emotional layers for viewers.

"Going further, Adams said the story has more nuances when Max Cady's lawyer is a mother, with audiences 'understanding the risk and the protective nature that she would have,'" she stated.

"Women's relationship with shame is also something that I was interested in exploring through this. And pressuring yourself and being unforgiving to yourself," Adams said. "It gave me a lot to play with."