Woody Harrelson Attacked by 'Zombie'

April 13, 2009

Woody Harrelson is taking method acting to a whole new level. The star, who just finished shooting a horror flick, claims he mistook a photographer for a blood-thirsty zombie.

Leaving a New York airport last Wednesday, Harrelson allegedly physically assaulted and broke the camera of an unidentified TMZ photographer, reports CNN. But according to Harrelson, who released a statement on Friday, he thought the photographer was trying to eat his brains.

"I wrapped a movie called Zombieland, in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character," Harrelson said in the tongue-in-cheek statement. "With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie."

In two videos posted on TMZ, the photographer follows a camera-shy Harrelson through the airport asking questions. While waiting outside, the video then shows an aggravated-looking Harrelson reaching for the camera. The second video, allegedly shot with a camcorder after the first camera was destroyed, sees Harrelson once again approaching the photographer and, according to TMZ, repeatedly hitting the cameraman and grabbing his neck.

While the scuffle is taking place, the cameraman can be heard in the video saying: "Woody, this is assault. Woody, this is assault. Woody, chill out. Would you please chill out?" Harrelson was mum during the melee.

An airport spokesperson told CNN that the TMZ cameraman has filed a complaint against Harrelson, claiming that the actor punched him in the face and broke his camera. The Port Authority of New York is investigating the incident.

Harrelson is playing Albuquerque in Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland, scheduled for release in October, according to IMDB.com.

This wasn't Harrelson's first run-in with a TMZ cameraman, however. In 2006, he reportedly broke another one of TMZ's cameras after choking photographer Josh Levine. Levine filed a $2.5 million suit last summer against the popular Cheers actor.