Post by pledm on Jun 4, 2007 6:08:55 GMT -5
Just some trivia on some movies,alittle neat;
The Godfather: During rehearsals, a false horse's head was used for the bedroom scene. For the actual shot, a real horse's head was used. The head was acquired from a dog-food factory.
Red Eye: In the scene in the plane bathroom, Cillian Murphy actually missed the place to throw Rachel McAdams. She hit her head and was knocked unconscious for a half hour. After, that she was ready for work and Murphy was afraid to do it again.
The Wizard of Oz: "Over the Rainbow" was nearly cut; MGM felt that it made the Kansas sequence too long, as well as being too far over the heads of the children for whom it was intended. The studio also thought it was degrading for Judy Garland to sing in a barnyard.
American Beauty: Wes Bentley was the first actor to read for the part of Ricky, and was asked to do the scene where he describes his reaction to the plastic bag; the casting director felt that although she had read that scene numerous times, his reading was the first time she felt she understood the meaning of it.
Legally Blonde: Reese Witherspoon's character wears 40 different hairstyles throughout the film.
Rebecca: Because star Laurence Olivier wanted his then-girlfriend Vivien Leigh to play the lead role, he treated Joan Fontaine horribly. This shook Joan Fontaine up quite a bit, so Alfred Hitchcock decided to capitalize on this by telling her EVERYONE on the set hated her, thus making her shy and uneasy on the set - just what Alfred Hitchcock wanted from her performance.
Jurassic Park: When the T-Rex comes through the glass roof of the Explorer in the first attack, the glass was not meant to break, producing the noticeably genuine screams from the children.
Mallrats: During the Batman homage as Jay and Bob escape from La Fours, the belting attached to Kevin Smith slipped. The crane refused to start (someone had shut it off), and the key could not be located, nearly resulting in a possibly lethal fall.
Audition: Takashi Miike wanted to end the film at the onset of the torture scene that the film is now famous for. However, one of the producers told him to "Be a man and see it through to the end."
Ed Wood: One day Kathy Wood, the wife of Edward D. Wood Jr., visited the set and asked to meet Johnny Depp. That day they were filming a scene where Wood would look really messed up, which made Burton nervous for what Kathy would think of the movie. When Depp exited his trailer she said, "That's my Eddie."
American Psycho: Two scenes featured unexpected improvisation by Christian Bale. When Bateman is jumping rope, he starts to skip and cross his jump rope as a schoolgirl would. Bale surprised director Mary Harron even more by starting to dance as Bateman was preparing to kill Paul Allen. That time, she says in interviews and the commentary, she collapsed with laughter.
Pride and Prejudice: Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Darcy) has very poor eyesight. In the misty morning shot, the director (Joe Wright) was behind the camera waving a red flag so Macfadyen knew where to walk.
X2: On “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (1992), Hugh Jackman related a story about something that happened during the filming of the Weapon X flashback scene: while he was filming the corridor run (in which he is nude and backlit), he turned the corner and saw the female cast members, including James Marsden’s mother, waiting for him, hooting and waving dollar bills.
Almost Famous: The roles of Russell Hammond and Penny Lane were originally set to go to Brad Pitt and Sarah Polley. Polley dropped out to work on her own project, and Pitt, for whom writer/director Cameron Crowe had written the part of the "guitarist with mystique", worked with Crowe for months before finally admitting, according to Crowe, "I just don't get it enough to do it."
Children of Men: When Miriam is taken off the bus in the refugee camp you can hear the song "Arbeit Macht Frei" by The Libertines. "Arbeit macht frei," meaning "Work shall set you free," was written above the entrance at all of the major Nazi concentration camps.
The Goonies: According to Sean Astin, he was allowed to keep the treasure map used in the film. However, the map was lost forever when his mother discovered it several years later, thought it was just a crinkled piece of paper, and threw it in the trash.
Labyrinth: For the shots where Jareth is seen face-on manipulating the crystal balls, juggler/choreographer Michael Moschen was actually crouched behind David Bowie with his arm(s) replacing Bowie's. Unlike a typical Muppet performance, however, he had no video screen to view his performance. In other words, his manipulations were performed completely blind.
Pretty Woman: When Edward (Richard Gere) snaps the necklace case down on Vivian's (Julia Roberts) fingers, was improvised by Gere, and Roberts' reaction (laughter) was totally natural. The filmmakers liked it so much, they decided to leave it in.
Shaun of the Dead: Nick Frost (Ed) allegedly kept his genitals shaved throughout the production to create a genuine need to scratch that the character demanded.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: The bus scene that plays during the ending credits was a scene cut from the movie. It was meant to take place after Jeanie announced that she called the police, and Roonie had to find a place to hide. This explains why the sky isn't dark, and why a bus is taking students home at six o'clock in the evening.
Jerry Maguire: The scene, in which Jerry and Ray are talking in the living room for the first time, was completely adlibbed. Director Cameron Crowe wanted to create a genuine "feel" between the two and did so by not having a written dialogue for that particular scene.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: Louise Fletcher was so jealous over the fact that all actors could laugh and be happy, as opposed to her having to be so cold and heartless, during the end of production, she removed her dress and stood in only her panties to prove to the actors she was not "a cold-hearted monster".
Dazed and Confused: While filming in Texas, Milla Jovovich (Michelle) and Shawn Andrews (Kevin Pickford) eloped to Las Vegas and got married. However, Jovovich was only 16/17 at the time and her mother had the marriage annulled.
East of Eden: Upon being introduced to James Dean on the set, author John Steinbeck exclaimed, "Jesus Christ, he IS Cal!"
Beetle Juice: The studio disliked the title "Beetlejuice" and wanted to call the film "House Ghosts". As a joke, Tim Burton suggested the name "Scared Sheetless" and was horrified when the studio actually considered using it.
The Prestige: The main characters' initials spell ABRA (Alfred Borden Robert Angier), as in Abracadabra, a common word used by magicians.
Casablanca: In the 1980s, this film's script was sent to readers at a number of major studios and production companies under its original title, "Everybody Comes To Rick's". Some readers recognized the script but most did not. Many complained that the script was "not good enough" to make a decent movie. Others gave such complaints as "too dated", "too much dialog" and "not enough sex".
American Pie: To replicate an erection in one scene, the crew cooked a sausage, stuck it on a pencil, and wrapped it in aluminum foil. It was still warm when it was placed between Jason Biggs’ legs.
Scarface: The word "yayo" was used by Tony Montana (Al Pacino) to describe cocaine. This word was not in the script, and was ad-libbed by Pacino during the first drug deal scene (chainsaw scene), and Brian liked it enough to keep using it throughout the film. Pacino learned the word while learning the Cuban accent.
Pulp Fiction: Uma Thurman originally turned down the role of Mia Wallace. Quentin Tarantino was so desperate to have her as Mia, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her to take on the role.
The Bourne Identity: The name Bourne came from Ansel Bourne, a preacher in Rhode Island, the first documented case of "dissociative fugue", a condition not unlike dissociative amnesia or dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder). One day in 1887 he forgot who he was, started a new life in Pennsylvania under the name Brown, and opened a convenience store. About three months later, he woke up and not only remembered his life as Bourne, but forgot all of his life as Brown... and needless to say was quite confused as to why he was in Pennsylvania.
Armageddon: This was the first movie that the cast was allowed to use genuine NASA spacesuits. The cast are the only civilians to ever wear NASA spacesuits, which cost over $3 million each.
Pleasantville: When Jennifer enters Pleasantville, she becomes a character named Mary-Sue. "Mary-Sue" is a term that originated in fan fiction to describe a character who comes into the character's lives and completely solves all of their problems. It is also a fan-fiction term for when the author (usually female) inserts herself (as a character) into the story.
Moulin Rouge!: So that the dancers didn't slip on the wooden floor during the "Like a Virgin" sequence, the floor was rubbed in with Coca Cola.
Dr. No: Sean Connery is morbidly afraid of spiders. The shot of the spider in his bed was originally done with a sheet of glass between him and the spider, but when this didn't look realistic enough, the scene was re-shot with stuntman Bob Simmons. Simmons reported that the tarantula crawling over Bond was the scariest stunt he had ever performed.
High Noon: The pained expression on Kane's (Gary Cooper’s) face throughout the film was not acting; Cooper had a bleeding ulcer at the time.
Stand by Me: When they were filming the scene where Gordie and Vern are about to be run over by the train, Wil Wheaton and Jerry O' Connell did not look scared enough; In frustration Rob Reiner yelled at them to the point where they started crying and that's when they were able to film the scene.
Blade Runner: The shooting of the film was supposedly such a strain on the cast and crew that crew members had T-Shirts made saying "WILL ROGERS NEVER MET RIDLEY SCOTT" (a reference to Will Rogers’ famous statement that he never met a man he didn't like).
The Fly: The famous tagline, "Be afraid. Be very afraid", originated in this film as dialogue spoken by Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis).
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Paul Newman and Robert Redford really leaped off the cliff; however, they landed on a ledge with a mattress roughly six feet below.
Requiem for a Dream: Director Darren Aronofsky asked Jared Leto Marlon Wayans to avoid sex and sugar for a period of 30 days in order to better understand an overwhelming craving.
A Few Good Men: While filming the scene in which Kendrick (played by Kiefer Sutherland) is driving Kaffee's group around the base in a Humvee through two rows of marching soldiers, Sutherland had trouble driving the extra wide vehicle and actually hit soldiers on multiple takes.
Misery: Kathy Bates reportedly was disappointed that a scene was cut in which she kills a young police officer by rolling over him repeatedly with a lawnmower. Director Rob Reiner was afraid that the audience would laugh at it.
Rain Man: During the shooting of the casino scenes, Hoffman would go off and play games like blackjack. After production was halted to look for him, someone was assigned to watch him during takes.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: During filming, most of the members of the Fellowship took up surfing in New Zealand in their spare time. Among them was Viggo Mortenson who wiped out terribly one day, and bruised one whole side of his face. The next day, makeup tried to mask the bruising and swelling, but were unsuccessful. Instead, Peter Jackson opted to film Mortenson from one side for the entire scene. In the scene in the Mines of Moria when they find the grave of Gimli's relative, Aragorn is only seen from one side in the whole scene.
Angus: In the original short story, Angus' dad was alive and both of his parents were gay. When the movie was first shot, Angus' mom was straight and his dad was gay. After the final cut, the filmmakers decided to abandon the "gay parents" situation for good. The beginning - and some key scenes - were re-shot with George C. Scott in his present role as Angus' grandfather.
Sleeping Beauty: Princess Aurora's long, thin, willowy body shape was inspired by that of Audrey Hepburn.
The Philadelphia Story: During the scene where James Stewart hiccups when drunk, you can see Cary Grant looking down and grinning. Since the hiccup wasn't scripted, Grant was on the verge of breaking out laughing and had to compose himself quickly.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: As Harry enters Professor Dumbledore's study, a portrait of Gandalf the Grey is included in the collection of the great wizard paintings. It is above the door-frame and slightly to Harry's right.
Léon: During the filming involving all of the police cars on the street, a man ran from a store he had just robbed. When he encountered the movie set by accident, he saw all of the "police" and gave himself up to a bunch of uniformed extras.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2: Robert Rodriguez scored this movie for $1. Quentin Tarantino said he would repay him by directing a segment of Rodriguez's project Sin City (2005) for $1.
The Graduate: In Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft’s first encounter in the hotel room, Bancroft did not know that Hoffman was going to grab her breast. Hoffman decided off-screen to do it, because it reminded him of schoolboys trying to nonchalantly grab girls' breasts in the hall by pretending to put their jackets on. When Hoffman did it onscreen, director Mike Nichols began laughing loudly off-screen. Hoffman began to laugh as well, so rather than stop the scene, he turned away from the camera and walked to the wall. Hoffman banged his head on the wall, trying to stop laughing, and Nichols thought it was so funny, he left it in.
Rushmore: When Bill Murray first read the script, he thought it was so fantastic that he said he wanted to do it so badly he would do it for free.
A League of Their Own: Tom Hanks gained 30 pounds in preparation for his role. He attributed the weight he gained to a nearby Dairy Queen.
Mean Girls: In the scene where Cady was asked if her "muffin was buttered", the line was originally going to be, "Is your cherry popped?" The same goes for the girl who "made out with a hot dog"- this was going to be "masturbated with a hot dog". These were omitted in order for the film to gain a PG 13+ rating instead of an R.
Taxi Driver: The scene where Travis Bickle is talking to himself in the mirror was completely ad-libbed by Robert De Niro. The screenplay details just said, "Travis looks in the mirror."
Star Wars: Due to the limited budget the American cast members and crew (including George Lucas) all decided to fly coach class to England, rather than first class. When Carrie Fisher’s mother Debbie Reynolds heard about this she called George Lucas, complaining about how insulting it was for her daughter to be flying coach. Carrie Fisher was in the room with George Lucas when he took the call, and after a few minutes asked if she could talk to her mother. When George Lucas handed her the phone she simply said, "Mother, I want to fly coach, will you f*** off," and hung up.
Finding Nemo: Afraid that kids would try releasing their pet fish by flushing them down a drain, a company that manufactures equipment used by water filtration and sewage treatment plants released a warning the Thursday after the film came out saying that, even though drains do eventually reach the ocean, before it got there the water would go through equipment which breaks down solids, and went on to say that in real life the movie would more appropriately be called "Grinding Nemo".
Titanic: On the final night of shooting in Nova Scotia, one or more pranksters mixed PCP (angel dust) into the clam chowder served to the cast and crew. 80 people were taken ill, many hospitalized with hallucinations. Bill Paxton felt listless for two weeks after the incident.
Party Monster: Much of the drug use in the movie was toned down from Michael Alig and James St. James’s actual habits for fear it would seem unbelievable.
Die Hard: The scene in which Gruber and McClane meet was inserted in to the script after Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber) was found to be proficient at mimicking American accents. The filmmakers had been looking for a way to have the two characters meet prior to the climax and capitalized on Rickman's talent.
Serendipity: During filming of this movie in NYC, the following note was posted on a production trailer: "Yes, we are filming a movie. It is called 'Serendipity'. It stars John Cusack and some girl from Britain that you wouldn't know - even if we told you her name. We will be shooting tonight until midmorning. Please don't ask the crew any questions. Even if they don't look like they are working, they are thinking."
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Georgie Henley's reaction to Mr. Tumnus at the lamppost is genuine. She had not seen her cast mate James McAvoy in his costume before the scene was filmed, so her screams and reaction were real. Georgie's first reaction to the snowy world of Narnia is also genuine--she was carried into the set blindfolded to make her first entrance, and her wide-eyed, delighted reactions to it all are entirely her own.
The Silence of the Lambs: Anthony Hopkins studied videotapes of serial killers as part of his research for the film. After noticing that Charles Manson hardly ever blinked when he spoke, he did the same for Hannibal Lecter. (He did, however, blink at least once during Lecter's conversation with Clarice in his "open-plan" cell.)
Batman Returns: During an A&E Biography, Michelle Pfeiffer said that her Catwoman costume was vacuum sealed once she was fitted into it for scenes, so she actually had only a short amount of time to perform before she would have to have it opened or she could become light headed and pass out. She also admitted that when she first was learning to use the whip she accidentally cut her trainer's face with it, at which he acted as a complete gentleman and continued with their training.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape: Despite the fact that animal protection agents were onset to monitor the wellbeing of the grasshopper Arnie decapitates in the letterbox, Leonardo DiCaprio accidentally killed it.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest: During the course of the movie Elizabeth claims to have learned swordsmanship from Will. Later on she pulls a sword stunt hitting two enemies backwards which was actually played by Orlando Bloom as Legolas in Lord of the Rings.
Marie Antoinette: In one scene while Marie Antoinette is getting ready, a pair of blue Converse tennis shoes are visible in the scene. Sofia Coppola has stated in interviews that the shoes were purposely put in the shot to portray Marie-Antoinette as a typical teenage girl, despite the time she lived in.
Bend it like Beckham: Although football star David Beckham and the term "bend" are well-known in the U.K., they were virtually unknown in the U.S. As such, when the time came for the film's U.S release, 20th Century Fox marketing execs suggested changing the title to "Move it like Mia", alluding to U.S. football star Mia Hamm. Director Gurinder Chadha objected to the name change and the film was released with its original title.
Saw: The car chase was filmed in the garage of the warehouse by turning off the lights, adding some fog, and shaking the cars while filming from the front.
Gone with the Wind: When Gary Cooper turned down the role for Rhett Butler, he was passionately against it. He is quoted saying both, Gone with the Wind is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history," and, "I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."
Twister: "It sucks" was originally going to be used as one of the taglines for the film, but the producers felt that it worked too much to the advantage of disappointed audiences and critics.
Aladdin: Andreas Deja based Jafar on Marc Davis’s design for Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959). The two villains share more than just looks: both carry a staff which they use to execute evil magic; both have bird henchman (Maleficent's is a raven, Jafar's a parrot), and both turn themselves into gigantic animals in their respective films - Maleficent as a dragon, Jafar as a snake.
The Godfather: During rehearsals, a false horse's head was used for the bedroom scene. For the actual shot, a real horse's head was used. The head was acquired from a dog-food factory.
Red Eye: In the scene in the plane bathroom, Cillian Murphy actually missed the place to throw Rachel McAdams. She hit her head and was knocked unconscious for a half hour. After, that she was ready for work and Murphy was afraid to do it again.
The Wizard of Oz: "Over the Rainbow" was nearly cut; MGM felt that it made the Kansas sequence too long, as well as being too far over the heads of the children for whom it was intended. The studio also thought it was degrading for Judy Garland to sing in a barnyard.
American Beauty: Wes Bentley was the first actor to read for the part of Ricky, and was asked to do the scene where he describes his reaction to the plastic bag; the casting director felt that although she had read that scene numerous times, his reading was the first time she felt she understood the meaning of it.
Legally Blonde: Reese Witherspoon's character wears 40 different hairstyles throughout the film.
Rebecca: Because star Laurence Olivier wanted his then-girlfriend Vivien Leigh to play the lead role, he treated Joan Fontaine horribly. This shook Joan Fontaine up quite a bit, so Alfred Hitchcock decided to capitalize on this by telling her EVERYONE on the set hated her, thus making her shy and uneasy on the set - just what Alfred Hitchcock wanted from her performance.
Jurassic Park: When the T-Rex comes through the glass roof of the Explorer in the first attack, the glass was not meant to break, producing the noticeably genuine screams from the children.
Mallrats: During the Batman homage as Jay and Bob escape from La Fours, the belting attached to Kevin Smith slipped. The crane refused to start (someone had shut it off), and the key could not be located, nearly resulting in a possibly lethal fall.
Audition: Takashi Miike wanted to end the film at the onset of the torture scene that the film is now famous for. However, one of the producers told him to "Be a man and see it through to the end."
Ed Wood: One day Kathy Wood, the wife of Edward D. Wood Jr., visited the set and asked to meet Johnny Depp. That day they were filming a scene where Wood would look really messed up, which made Burton nervous for what Kathy would think of the movie. When Depp exited his trailer she said, "That's my Eddie."
American Psycho: Two scenes featured unexpected improvisation by Christian Bale. When Bateman is jumping rope, he starts to skip and cross his jump rope as a schoolgirl would. Bale surprised director Mary Harron even more by starting to dance as Bateman was preparing to kill Paul Allen. That time, she says in interviews and the commentary, she collapsed with laughter.
Pride and Prejudice: Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Darcy) has very poor eyesight. In the misty morning shot, the director (Joe Wright) was behind the camera waving a red flag so Macfadyen knew where to walk.
X2: On “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (1992), Hugh Jackman related a story about something that happened during the filming of the Weapon X flashback scene: while he was filming the corridor run (in which he is nude and backlit), he turned the corner and saw the female cast members, including James Marsden’s mother, waiting for him, hooting and waving dollar bills.
Almost Famous: The roles of Russell Hammond and Penny Lane were originally set to go to Brad Pitt and Sarah Polley. Polley dropped out to work on her own project, and Pitt, for whom writer/director Cameron Crowe had written the part of the "guitarist with mystique", worked with Crowe for months before finally admitting, according to Crowe, "I just don't get it enough to do it."
Children of Men: When Miriam is taken off the bus in the refugee camp you can hear the song "Arbeit Macht Frei" by The Libertines. "Arbeit macht frei," meaning "Work shall set you free," was written above the entrance at all of the major Nazi concentration camps.
The Goonies: According to Sean Astin, he was allowed to keep the treasure map used in the film. However, the map was lost forever when his mother discovered it several years later, thought it was just a crinkled piece of paper, and threw it in the trash.
Labyrinth: For the shots where Jareth is seen face-on manipulating the crystal balls, juggler/choreographer Michael Moschen was actually crouched behind David Bowie with his arm(s) replacing Bowie's. Unlike a typical Muppet performance, however, he had no video screen to view his performance. In other words, his manipulations were performed completely blind.
Pretty Woman: When Edward (Richard Gere) snaps the necklace case down on Vivian's (Julia Roberts) fingers, was improvised by Gere, and Roberts' reaction (laughter) was totally natural. The filmmakers liked it so much, they decided to leave it in.
Shaun of the Dead: Nick Frost (Ed) allegedly kept his genitals shaved throughout the production to create a genuine need to scratch that the character demanded.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: The bus scene that plays during the ending credits was a scene cut from the movie. It was meant to take place after Jeanie announced that she called the police, and Roonie had to find a place to hide. This explains why the sky isn't dark, and why a bus is taking students home at six o'clock in the evening.
Jerry Maguire: The scene, in which Jerry and Ray are talking in the living room for the first time, was completely adlibbed. Director Cameron Crowe wanted to create a genuine "feel" between the two and did so by not having a written dialogue for that particular scene.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: Louise Fletcher was so jealous over the fact that all actors could laugh and be happy, as opposed to her having to be so cold and heartless, during the end of production, she removed her dress and stood in only her panties to prove to the actors she was not "a cold-hearted monster".
Dazed and Confused: While filming in Texas, Milla Jovovich (Michelle) and Shawn Andrews (Kevin Pickford) eloped to Las Vegas and got married. However, Jovovich was only 16/17 at the time and her mother had the marriage annulled.
East of Eden: Upon being introduced to James Dean on the set, author John Steinbeck exclaimed, "Jesus Christ, he IS Cal!"
Beetle Juice: The studio disliked the title "Beetlejuice" and wanted to call the film "House Ghosts". As a joke, Tim Burton suggested the name "Scared Sheetless" and was horrified when the studio actually considered using it.
The Prestige: The main characters' initials spell ABRA (Alfred Borden Robert Angier), as in Abracadabra, a common word used by magicians.
Casablanca: In the 1980s, this film's script was sent to readers at a number of major studios and production companies under its original title, "Everybody Comes To Rick's". Some readers recognized the script but most did not. Many complained that the script was "not good enough" to make a decent movie. Others gave such complaints as "too dated", "too much dialog" and "not enough sex".
American Pie: To replicate an erection in one scene, the crew cooked a sausage, stuck it on a pencil, and wrapped it in aluminum foil. It was still warm when it was placed between Jason Biggs’ legs.
Scarface: The word "yayo" was used by Tony Montana (Al Pacino) to describe cocaine. This word was not in the script, and was ad-libbed by Pacino during the first drug deal scene (chainsaw scene), and Brian liked it enough to keep using it throughout the film. Pacino learned the word while learning the Cuban accent.
Pulp Fiction: Uma Thurman originally turned down the role of Mia Wallace. Quentin Tarantino was so desperate to have her as Mia, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her to take on the role.
The Bourne Identity: The name Bourne came from Ansel Bourne, a preacher in Rhode Island, the first documented case of "dissociative fugue", a condition not unlike dissociative amnesia or dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder). One day in 1887 he forgot who he was, started a new life in Pennsylvania under the name Brown, and opened a convenience store. About three months later, he woke up and not only remembered his life as Bourne, but forgot all of his life as Brown... and needless to say was quite confused as to why he was in Pennsylvania.
Armageddon: This was the first movie that the cast was allowed to use genuine NASA spacesuits. The cast are the only civilians to ever wear NASA spacesuits, which cost over $3 million each.
Pleasantville: When Jennifer enters Pleasantville, she becomes a character named Mary-Sue. "Mary-Sue" is a term that originated in fan fiction to describe a character who comes into the character's lives and completely solves all of their problems. It is also a fan-fiction term for when the author (usually female) inserts herself (as a character) into the story.
Moulin Rouge!: So that the dancers didn't slip on the wooden floor during the "Like a Virgin" sequence, the floor was rubbed in with Coca Cola.
Dr. No: Sean Connery is morbidly afraid of spiders. The shot of the spider in his bed was originally done with a sheet of glass between him and the spider, but when this didn't look realistic enough, the scene was re-shot with stuntman Bob Simmons. Simmons reported that the tarantula crawling over Bond was the scariest stunt he had ever performed.
High Noon: The pained expression on Kane's (Gary Cooper’s) face throughout the film was not acting; Cooper had a bleeding ulcer at the time.
Stand by Me: When they were filming the scene where Gordie and Vern are about to be run over by the train, Wil Wheaton and Jerry O' Connell did not look scared enough; In frustration Rob Reiner yelled at them to the point where they started crying and that's when they were able to film the scene.
Blade Runner: The shooting of the film was supposedly such a strain on the cast and crew that crew members had T-Shirts made saying "WILL ROGERS NEVER MET RIDLEY SCOTT" (a reference to Will Rogers’ famous statement that he never met a man he didn't like).
The Fly: The famous tagline, "Be afraid. Be very afraid", originated in this film as dialogue spoken by Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis).
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Paul Newman and Robert Redford really leaped off the cliff; however, they landed on a ledge with a mattress roughly six feet below.
Requiem for a Dream: Director Darren Aronofsky asked Jared Leto Marlon Wayans to avoid sex and sugar for a period of 30 days in order to better understand an overwhelming craving.
A Few Good Men: While filming the scene in which Kendrick (played by Kiefer Sutherland) is driving Kaffee's group around the base in a Humvee through two rows of marching soldiers, Sutherland had trouble driving the extra wide vehicle and actually hit soldiers on multiple takes.
Misery: Kathy Bates reportedly was disappointed that a scene was cut in which she kills a young police officer by rolling over him repeatedly with a lawnmower. Director Rob Reiner was afraid that the audience would laugh at it.
Rain Man: During the shooting of the casino scenes, Hoffman would go off and play games like blackjack. After production was halted to look for him, someone was assigned to watch him during takes.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: During filming, most of the members of the Fellowship took up surfing in New Zealand in their spare time. Among them was Viggo Mortenson who wiped out terribly one day, and bruised one whole side of his face. The next day, makeup tried to mask the bruising and swelling, but were unsuccessful. Instead, Peter Jackson opted to film Mortenson from one side for the entire scene. In the scene in the Mines of Moria when they find the grave of Gimli's relative, Aragorn is only seen from one side in the whole scene.
Angus: In the original short story, Angus' dad was alive and both of his parents were gay. When the movie was first shot, Angus' mom was straight and his dad was gay. After the final cut, the filmmakers decided to abandon the "gay parents" situation for good. The beginning - and some key scenes - were re-shot with George C. Scott in his present role as Angus' grandfather.
Sleeping Beauty: Princess Aurora's long, thin, willowy body shape was inspired by that of Audrey Hepburn.
The Philadelphia Story: During the scene where James Stewart hiccups when drunk, you can see Cary Grant looking down and grinning. Since the hiccup wasn't scripted, Grant was on the verge of breaking out laughing and had to compose himself quickly.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: As Harry enters Professor Dumbledore's study, a portrait of Gandalf the Grey is included in the collection of the great wizard paintings. It is above the door-frame and slightly to Harry's right.
Léon: During the filming involving all of the police cars on the street, a man ran from a store he had just robbed. When he encountered the movie set by accident, he saw all of the "police" and gave himself up to a bunch of uniformed extras.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2: Robert Rodriguez scored this movie for $1. Quentin Tarantino said he would repay him by directing a segment of Rodriguez's project Sin City (2005) for $1.
The Graduate: In Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft’s first encounter in the hotel room, Bancroft did not know that Hoffman was going to grab her breast. Hoffman decided off-screen to do it, because it reminded him of schoolboys trying to nonchalantly grab girls' breasts in the hall by pretending to put their jackets on. When Hoffman did it onscreen, director Mike Nichols began laughing loudly off-screen. Hoffman began to laugh as well, so rather than stop the scene, he turned away from the camera and walked to the wall. Hoffman banged his head on the wall, trying to stop laughing, and Nichols thought it was so funny, he left it in.
Rushmore: When Bill Murray first read the script, he thought it was so fantastic that he said he wanted to do it so badly he would do it for free.
A League of Their Own: Tom Hanks gained 30 pounds in preparation for his role. He attributed the weight he gained to a nearby Dairy Queen.
Mean Girls: In the scene where Cady was asked if her "muffin was buttered", the line was originally going to be, "Is your cherry popped?" The same goes for the girl who "made out with a hot dog"- this was going to be "masturbated with a hot dog". These were omitted in order for the film to gain a PG 13+ rating instead of an R.
Taxi Driver: The scene where Travis Bickle is talking to himself in the mirror was completely ad-libbed by Robert De Niro. The screenplay details just said, "Travis looks in the mirror."
Star Wars: Due to the limited budget the American cast members and crew (including George Lucas) all decided to fly coach class to England, rather than first class. When Carrie Fisher’s mother Debbie Reynolds heard about this she called George Lucas, complaining about how insulting it was for her daughter to be flying coach. Carrie Fisher was in the room with George Lucas when he took the call, and after a few minutes asked if she could talk to her mother. When George Lucas handed her the phone she simply said, "Mother, I want to fly coach, will you f*** off," and hung up.
Finding Nemo: Afraid that kids would try releasing their pet fish by flushing them down a drain, a company that manufactures equipment used by water filtration and sewage treatment plants released a warning the Thursday after the film came out saying that, even though drains do eventually reach the ocean, before it got there the water would go through equipment which breaks down solids, and went on to say that in real life the movie would more appropriately be called "Grinding Nemo".
Titanic: On the final night of shooting in Nova Scotia, one or more pranksters mixed PCP (angel dust) into the clam chowder served to the cast and crew. 80 people were taken ill, many hospitalized with hallucinations. Bill Paxton felt listless for two weeks after the incident.
Party Monster: Much of the drug use in the movie was toned down from Michael Alig and James St. James’s actual habits for fear it would seem unbelievable.
Die Hard: The scene in which Gruber and McClane meet was inserted in to the script after Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber) was found to be proficient at mimicking American accents. The filmmakers had been looking for a way to have the two characters meet prior to the climax and capitalized on Rickman's talent.
Serendipity: During filming of this movie in NYC, the following note was posted on a production trailer: "Yes, we are filming a movie. It is called 'Serendipity'. It stars John Cusack and some girl from Britain that you wouldn't know - even if we told you her name. We will be shooting tonight until midmorning. Please don't ask the crew any questions. Even if they don't look like they are working, they are thinking."
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Georgie Henley's reaction to Mr. Tumnus at the lamppost is genuine. She had not seen her cast mate James McAvoy in his costume before the scene was filmed, so her screams and reaction were real. Georgie's first reaction to the snowy world of Narnia is also genuine--she was carried into the set blindfolded to make her first entrance, and her wide-eyed, delighted reactions to it all are entirely her own.
The Silence of the Lambs: Anthony Hopkins studied videotapes of serial killers as part of his research for the film. After noticing that Charles Manson hardly ever blinked when he spoke, he did the same for Hannibal Lecter. (He did, however, blink at least once during Lecter's conversation with Clarice in his "open-plan" cell.)
Batman Returns: During an A&E Biography, Michelle Pfeiffer said that her Catwoman costume was vacuum sealed once she was fitted into it for scenes, so she actually had only a short amount of time to perform before she would have to have it opened or she could become light headed and pass out. She also admitted that when she first was learning to use the whip she accidentally cut her trainer's face with it, at which he acted as a complete gentleman and continued with their training.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape: Despite the fact that animal protection agents were onset to monitor the wellbeing of the grasshopper Arnie decapitates in the letterbox, Leonardo DiCaprio accidentally killed it.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest: During the course of the movie Elizabeth claims to have learned swordsmanship from Will. Later on she pulls a sword stunt hitting two enemies backwards which was actually played by Orlando Bloom as Legolas in Lord of the Rings.
Marie Antoinette: In one scene while Marie Antoinette is getting ready, a pair of blue Converse tennis shoes are visible in the scene. Sofia Coppola has stated in interviews that the shoes were purposely put in the shot to portray Marie-Antoinette as a typical teenage girl, despite the time she lived in.
Bend it like Beckham: Although football star David Beckham and the term "bend" are well-known in the U.K., they were virtually unknown in the U.S. As such, when the time came for the film's U.S release, 20th Century Fox marketing execs suggested changing the title to "Move it like Mia", alluding to U.S. football star Mia Hamm. Director Gurinder Chadha objected to the name change and the film was released with its original title.
Saw: The car chase was filmed in the garage of the warehouse by turning off the lights, adding some fog, and shaking the cars while filming from the front.
Gone with the Wind: When Gary Cooper turned down the role for Rhett Butler, he was passionately against it. He is quoted saying both, Gone with the Wind is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history," and, "I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."
Twister: "It sucks" was originally going to be used as one of the taglines for the film, but the producers felt that it worked too much to the advantage of disappointed audiences and critics.
Aladdin: Andreas Deja based Jafar on Marc Davis’s design for Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959). The two villains share more than just looks: both carry a staff which they use to execute evil magic; both have bird henchman (Maleficent's is a raven, Jafar's a parrot), and both turn themselves into gigantic animals in their respective films - Maleficent as a dragon, Jafar as a snake.
