 Norman Reynolds could not return for Temple of Doom because of his commitment to Return of the Jedi . Elliot Scott ( Labyrinth , Who Framed Roger Rabbit ) , Reynolds ' mentor , was hired . To build the rope bridge the filmmakers found a group of British engineers working on the nearby Balfour Beatty dam . Harrison Ford suffered a severe spinal disc herniation by performing a somersault while filming the scene with the assassin in Jones ' bedroom . A hospital bed was brought on set for Ford to rest between takes . Lucas stated , " He could barely stand up , yet he was there every day so shooting would not stop . He was in incomprehensible pain , but he was still trying to make it happen . " With no alternatives , Lucas shut down production while Ford was flown to Centinela Hospital on June 21 for recovery . Stunt double Vic Armstrong spent five weeks as a stand @-@ in for various shots . Wendy Leech , Armstrong 's wife , served as Capshaw 's stunt double . 
