Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore plays a zombie in the dark comedy series Santa Clarita Diet Neil Hall/Reuters

Drew Barrymore has revealed that she "almost died" performing a stunt scene that went horribly wrong during a rehearsal. "It was f*****g terrifying," the Golden Globe winner told Us weekly about what followed after the accident on the set of the Netflix show Santa Clarita Diet.

Barrymore, who plays the character of Sheila, a California real estate agent who turns into a zombie in the dark comedy series, was in hospital for two days in July 2016 for treatment. She was supposed to jump on a man and kill him, but slipped and knocked her head on the concrete floor, which left her with a concussion.

"It was very serious. I've never had a feeling like that in my life," Barrymore, 41, said.

The show's creator Victor Fresco admitted he feared the worst following the freak accident. He said that the actor "was a wide guy and Drew didn't get a great grip".

"Then he held onto her legs as she slipped off, and so she just pivoted down all the way and just hit her head. I thought, 'That's it. We've killed Drew Barrymore'."

The filming resumed after Barrymore returned to the set a week after the accident.

"Coming back, it was scary. Everyone was really tense," the mother-of-two said. She shares children Olive, 4, and Frankie, 2, with ex-husband Will Kopelman.

Barrymore said she received love and support from the entire cast and crew following the accident.

"I love that this group of people, who aren't family necessarily, are coming together and care about my well-being," she said. "It was a nice moment where you see the good in people."

Santa Clarita Diet debuted on 3 February.