An unscheduled appearance by a deadly jellyfish has halted shooting on actress Kate Hudson's latest feature 'Fool's Gold' in Australia.
Hudson and co-star Matthew McConaughey had to cancel filming the final scene of the adventure picture at Hervey Bay in Queensland when a potentially fatal irukandji jellyfish was found in the water, Hudson’s publicist Fiona Searson confirmed.
"We have a marine expert on the film to ensure everyone's safe and he found the jellyfish," Searson said.
"We decided not to put the cast into the water because of the jellyfish."
"It's an unusual problem to come across," she said. "It's certainly the first film I've ever worked on where jellyfish have stopped filming - only in Australia, I suppose."
The irukandji jellyfish has a thimble-sized translucent body with 30 centimetre (12 inch) trailing stingers containing venom described by scientists as among the deadliest in the animal world.
No antidote has been found for the irukandji sting, which causes excruciating pain and can lead to paralysis and a potentially fatal rise in blood pressure.
