Amy Adams used training from canceled medical drama to help stabbing victim

Actors often learn specialized skills for roles, and for Amy Adams, first-aid training from a short-lived medical drama proved lifesaving in real life. Adams played Alice Doherty, a registered nurse, alongside Rob Lowe on Dr. Vegas in 2004. The show was canceled by CBS after five episodes amid poor ratings and critical reception, but the preparation she undertook for the role stayed with her.

On the SmartLess podcast she recalled leaving a Santa Monica restaurant with her family when they became the first people on the scene of a man who had been stabbed in the neck. Her husband, Darren Le Gallo, stayed with their daughter while Adams and her father used beach towels to apply pressure and instructed the panicked victim to lie still to slow the bleeding.

Her quick actions helped save his life. She later ran into the survivor about a year afterward in an emotional reunion.

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