Elizabeth Banks Says 'Guardian Angel' Saved Her From Choking to Death While Filming 'Skincare'

Elizabeth Banks says she nearly choked to death on a pea while filming her upcoming movie, “Skincare,” and was saved by an abdominal thrust, also known as the Heimlich maneuver.

During an appearance on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, the 50-year-old actress shared details from the “scary” incident, which happened while she was alone in her trailer between scenes.

“I had my first ever choking incident,” Banks said. She was alone in her trailer eating lunch when a “little green pea” became stuck in her throat. “I threw the door open — couldn’t make any noise, was so afraid,” she said. “It was terrifying.”

A crew member walked by and saw her at just the right moment, asking, “Are you choking?”

When she indicated that she was, the crew member “very calmly” performed the Heimlich maneuver, a first aid technique that involves wrapping your arms around the choking person’s abdomen from behind and thrusting inward and upward, forcing air into the esophagus to push the object out of the airway. The method is only recommended for use on adults and older children, while back slapping is recommended for babies.

“He had to do it twice,” Banks said. “His name is Julius. He is my guardian angel. Julius, I love you.”

Because of her experience, Banks said she wanted to use her platform to encourage other people to learn how to perform the potentially lifesaving maneuver.

“Make sure you know how to do it,” she insisted. “Talk to your friends and family about it.”

Banks noted that some people worry that performing the Heimlich maneuver can cause injury, such as cracking the choking person’s rib, similar to how CPR can injure ribs despite being lifesaving.

“They’re dying, so crack a rib if you have to,” Banks said. “I would’ve been fine with a cracked rib. I literally couldn’t breathe, and it was super scary.”

—TMX contributed to this report