The Scream actor, who has also been a professional wrestler, was rushed to hospital for surgery after he was accidentally stabbed in the neck with a cylindrical light bulb during a so-called “death match” with Nick Gage.
He reflects on the fight, which took place two years ago, in the new documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette.
He told US magazine People: “I thought I was dying. I got out of the ring and I was totally lost. I couldn’t see and I couldn’t hear.
“There was a certain carefree, daredevil aspect about the way I lived life previously. But I didn’t want to die.
“With the death match, I was doing it on purpose. I was feeling pain to numb pain. Afterwards, I realised I needed to be kind to myself.”
Arquette said he has also been helped by therapy and the support from his wife of five years Christina McLarty Arquette, adding: “I learned to love myself. I had to stop being self-destructive and making choices that were throwing bombs.”
Reflecting on his 30-year career in Hollywood, he said: “I always approached Hollywood in a different way. I did kids movies, I did horror movies, I did comedies.
“People didn’t really know where to put me. And I’m a different kind of character. I’m silly, I wear flamboyant clothes. That can paint a picture in people’s heads of who I am and I started feeling like a joke.”
He added: “I’m not worried about the future. I’m trying to live in the moment. I’m not invincible and there have been times in my life where I didn’t want to go on. But I’m proud of my kids, I’m proud of my wife, and I’m proud of my family. And when you start to like yourself, it’s easier to feel at peace.”
