Secrets Behind Some of the Greatest Movies of All Time
Whether you’re a horror or romantic comedy fan, I think we can all agree that cinema is one of the greatest inventions of humankind.
A lot goes into the creation of films, no matter what the genre is. All the tricks of the trade and onset drama usually remains a secret, usually only known to those working behind the scenes.
But occasionally details leak out to the general public, and we all get excited at the prospect of getting the exclusive backstage gossip!
From technical problems to trivia, on set feuds, and even near death experiences! We present to you some of the most interesting and incredible movie facts of all time.
So strap in and get ready to learn the secrets of your favorite films!
30. Isla Fisher Nearly Drowned While Filming “Now You See Me”
Sometimes actors risk their very life for their craft! Now You See Me is a heist thriller film series, centering around the actions of a group of illusionists called The Horsemen.
In the opening scenes of one of the films, Isla Fisher is involved in a magic trick where she is trapped in a tank of water.
After being underwater three whole minutes she nearly died of drowning!
The crew was under the impression that she was taking the scene very seriously, but in actuality, she was struggling for her life.
As Fisher put it, “My chain got stuck. I had to really swim to the bottom; I couldn’t get up. Everyone thought I was acting fabulously.”
29. The Most Fake Blood Ever Used in a Film
In the 2017 film IT: Chapter One, there is a scene that involves all the main characters cleaning up a bathroom filled with blood. This iconic moment from the original miniseries, and also the Stephen King book, is among the most memorable.
As a result, it was important for the directors to make it look as authentic as possible.
5,000 gallons of fake blood were used in order to make the scene as realistic and gorey as possible.
That is the largest amount of fake blood ever used for any movie ever, even topping the elevator scene in The Shining!
28. The Matrix Code is Not as Deep as You Thought
Remember those long green lines of code in the Matrix? You know, the coding that was said to make up the entirety of what we perceive as reality?
Well, that code actually means something if you know how to read it. Unfortunately, it’s not as deep as you’d think it might be.
Turns out that the production designer who created these symbols actually took them from a sushi cookbook!
Yes, you heard right. He took the original symbols in the book and simply altered them when creating the Matrix code for the film.
27. Some Serious Method Acting from Leo
Leonardo DiCaprio did not hold back during this scene in Django Unchained! It was during the fourth take of his character Calvin Candie’s racist rant that he slammed his hand on the table, accidentally hitting a glass.
As a result, the actor’s hand was cut open and began to bleed, but he didn’t ask them to stop filming.
As the scene was beginning to end, Dicaprio (still fully in character) wiped his bloody hand on Kerry Washington’s face.
The shock and disgust on her face are definitely noticeable, making the scene all the more realistic and shocking.
26. Plastic Skeletons are Pricier than You’d Think
In the classic horror movie Poltergeist, actress JoBeth Williams swims through a pool of corpses. With the hock and terror written all over her face, you might assume that the dead bodies might actually be real. And guess what, you’d actually be correct!
This decision was made due to budget constraints, as plastic skeletons were actually more expensive than getting real human bones.
People who are clued into this fact speculate that it might be why the film series has its rumored curse.
Maybe the producers should have spent the extra chunk of the chain on the plastic bones in the end.
25. Marlon Brando Took a Liking to a Stray Cat on Set
If you’ve seen The Godfather you’re probably familiar with the iconic opening scene, the one with Marlon Brando sitting in his office stroking his pet cat. The presence of the cat makes the scene all the more menacing combined with Brando’s incredible performance.
But did you know that that cat was actually a stray that wandered into the studio?
Marlon Brando took a liking to the friendly feline, and as a result, he brought it with him into the scene.
The cat purred so loudly while being a pet that the film crew grew concerned it would mess with the audio!
24. Her Tearful audition was Based on a True Story!
Emma Stone’s emotional performance as Mia in La La Land may have moved some viewers to tears, especially during her first audition scene. There’s a good reason why it felt like an especially realistic scene.
The writer and director, Damien Chazelle, used an actual story from Ryan Gosling’s experience during a terrible audition when writing the script.
The actor shared that he was once interrupted in the middle of a very emotionally charged audition by a viewer who answered his phone and walked out of the room.
He was pleased to see it reenacted on the big screen saying, “It was actually cathartic to see up there.”
23. There was a Malfunction During the Projectile Vomiting Scene
The Exorcist is without a doubt one of the greatest horror films of all time, one that terrified audiences beyond belief upon its release. One scene involves a young and possessed Reagan projectile vomiting onto Father Karass.
The effect was created using plastic tubing and pea soup, but something went wrong during the first take.
The vomit was supposed to fly out and hit Father Karras in the stomach, but there was a malfunction and he ended up getting hit in the face instead!
The take ended up looking so authentic that they kept it in the film.
22. The Terminator was Almost Cast Differently
The Terminator is an iconic science fiction movie directed by James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold is so well known for playing the lead in The Terminator series, it’s hard to believe that any other actor could have done justice to the role.
But believe it or not, a different male lead was originally considered before Arnold.
O.J. Simpson came very close to being cast as the cyborg killer in this franchise, but James Cameron thought he was “too pleasant” to portray such an ominous character.
Pretty ironic when you consider all the events of Simpson’s 1995 murder trial!
21. Spending Over 20 Grand on Dental Work
Some actors are known for going incredible lengths to portray their role accurately, and that sometimes includes modifying their actual bodies. One actor who took body modification for a role a little TOO far was Robert De Niro in Cape Fear.
He paid a dentist $5,000 to purposely mess up his teeth to make him look more like his character.
I guess a prosthetic just wasn’t going to be enough for this actor!
After filming was all wrapped up he needed to get his back to the way they were before, so he went back to the dentist and dropped $20,000 to fix them.
20. How Charlie Sheen Achieved the “Drugged Out” Look
If you’re a fan of John Hughes films or just great 80s movies in general, then you may be familiar with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. And if you’ve seen the movie then you must have noticed a young Charlie Sheen making an appearance towards the end of the film.
He has a very minor role as a juvenile who was busted for drug use.
In order to make his performance as a drug addled teen as realistic as possible, Sheen stayed awake for a full 48 hours.
It certainly paid off, even though his character had very few lines he certainly sticks out in the film!
19. The Many Talents of James Cameron
The Titanic is one of the highest grossing films of all time, with several iconic scenes that exist in the collective memory of pop culture consumers.
One such famous scene is the intimate moment the two main characters share when Rose asks Jack to capture her form on paper while she’s completely in the nude.
But actor Leonardo DiCaprio was not the artist behind the final charcoal sketch. That credit has to go to director James Cameron. Who knew he was a great artist as well as an incredible director!
18. Two VERY Different Roles, Same Actress
Are you a horror movie fan? If so, you’re probably very familiar with the 2002 film The Ring. The story surrounds a mysterious videotape that kills anyone who watches it within 7 days.
The villain of this movie is a little girl named Samara, and despite being a young child her appearance is incredibly terrifying.
But who played the role of this scary kid? Well, none other than Daveigh Chase, who is also the voice of Lilo in Lilo & Stitch!
Who would have thought these two polar opposite characters would have the same voice behind them?
17. The Famous Delorean Almost Didn’t Make it into Back to the Future
Back to the Future is one of the most famous science fiction movies out there. All sci fi fans are surely familiar with the time travelling delorean that drives the plot of the movie.
But what you may have not known is that the classic car was almost going to be a refrigerator instead?
Yes, the original idea for the vessel to take Marty back through time was a refrigerator strapped to the back of a truck.
I don’t know about you, but I think a fridge would have been a lot less cool than a delorean. It’s probably a good thing that the concept was changed.
16. A Secret Message Hidden in Fight Club
Fight Club is a 1999 thriller directed by David Fincher. The central character in the movie is trapped in a dead end job and is fed up with his capitalistic lifestyle.
One of the central themes of the film is the impact that consumerism has on our everyday lives.
In order to drive this point home, Fincher snuck in some clever details that hint towards the movie’s message.
In every single scene of Fight Club, if you look carefully enough, there is a Starbucks cup.
The addition of such a major brand in each scene really emphasizes the ever present nature of consumerism.
15. Darth Vader Wasn’t as Present in A New Hope
Star Wars is a science fiction franchise that’s recognized all around the world, and is still continuing on to this very day! There are multiple movies, tv series, and even books out there.
Even though there are many types of media and a multitude of characters, Darth Vader is undoubtedly the most famous and influential figure.
But did you know that in the original Star Wars film he only had a total of 12 minutes of screen time?
In the entire two hour film, this iconic villain only takes up 10% of the movie, now that’s leaving an impact!
14. The Sweetest Fake Blood on the Market
Psycho is a classic horror film by Alfred Hitchcock, filmed in black and white. The start of the movie follows a real estate secretary named Marion Crane as she makes off with a large sum of stolen money.
She finds a small inn to stay at to collect her thoughts, but shortly after she is stabbed to death in the shower.
This iconic scene is probably one of the most famous in all movie history.
And because the movie was being filmed in black and white, the blood used was actually chocolate syrup! Sounds messy, but still very tasty!
13. Tim Burton Wanted the Utmost Realism
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a remake of the original 1971 film, involving an eccentric Chocolatier who gives five lucky children a tour of his incredible candy factory. One scene in the original book involves a room full of trained squirrels that cracked nuts.
This was left out of the 1971 version but kept in the remake.
But Tim Burton was not satisfied with merely using CGI to execute this scene, he wanted it to look as real as possible.
So he had had 40 REAL LIVE squirrels trained to crack nuts just to achieve the realistic effect.
12. The Hulk Wasn’t Always his Iconic Green Color
The Marvel universe is filled with a variety of cool and interesting superheroes. One of the most well known ones has got to be the Incredible Hulk, a gentle scientist who turns into a giant green monster of rage when angered.
But originally the Hulk was not meant to have his iconic dark green skin.
The initial idea was to have the Hulk be grey, to prevent audiences from associating him with any real life ethnic group.
When creating the character there was a printing error that gave the character green skin instead, and Stan Lee ended up loving it!
11. Toy Story 2 Almost Never Made it to Theaters
Toy Story 2 is the 1999 sequel to the Pixar smash hit Toy Story. The sequel was equally, if not more, successful than its predecessor, but it almost never made it to theatres!
The entire film was almost deleted before its release, due to a command being entered in the master machine where the film was held.
There was an unknown trouble maker at Pixar who almost completely did away with the film, and ended up deleting 90% of it!
Thankfully the supervising technical director, Galyn Susman, had a backup at home. It’s thanks to her the film ended up being released!
10. Dopey was Meant to be Talkative
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was one of the earliest animated films of all time and the first feature length film by Walt Disney Productions. The movie features the iconic princess, as well as seven tiny men who all have different personality traits.
Possibly the best known among them was the silent Dopey, but he wasn’t always written as being mute.
In fact, the character was originally intended on being incredibly talkative.
However, the creators were unable to find an actor with a voice they felt fit him, so they opted to have him remain silent instead.
9. Ratatouille Caused an Increase in Pet Rats
Ratatouille was a Pixar film released in 2007, following the adventures of Remy the rat and his passion for the culinary arts. Most animated movies don’t center their story around a rodent, but this film did an excellent job of making the character loveable.
In fact, they did SUCH a great job with making rats appealing that there was a spike in rat adoptions after the film’s release!
The British pet chain Pets at Home said that the sales of rats as pets went up by an alarming 50 percent!
Who knew the movie was such a great advertisement for pet rats?
8. Origin of the Famous Improvised Line from The Shining
The Shining might possibly be the most iconic horror film based on a Stephen King book. Many are familiar with the story of a family who ends up in a deserted hotel in the dead of winter.
Jack Nicholson plays the father who snaps and begins to attack his family.
His most iconic line in the film happens when he busts open a door with an axe, sticks his head through the hole, and bellows “Heeeeeeere’s Johnny!”
The famous words were actually improvised by the actor, based on famous introductory words on NBC’s Johnny Carson show.
7. Bill Skarsgård and his Eye Trick
While we’re on the subject of Stephen King horror films, the two part IT film had a pretty terrifying villain as well! Portrayed by Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård, this killer clown struck fear into the hearts of audiences and cast members alike.
One of the clown’s signature traits was his ability to move his eyes in two different directions.
Cast member Bill Hader approached Skarsgård on set and asked what editing was involved to achieve this effect.
Right then and there, Skarsgård demonstrated that he could do the eye movement naturally! Hader freaked out, he had definitely not expected that!
6. Frozen was in Production for Decades
There probably isn’t a human on Earth who has not heard of Frozen. Since its release in 2015, the movie and characters absolutely dominated the Disney princess world, becoming one of the most popular in the entire franchise.
Despite being relatively new in the Disney universe, Frozen had actually been in production since 1939!
Walt Disney had always wanted to make a movie based off the book The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Andersen.
Unfortunately, it never came to fruition in his lifetime, but over 70 years later his vision was finally realized.
5. Stephen King HATED the Shining!
You already know that The Shining was a hugely successful horror classic, but did you know that the author of the original book was far from a fan?
Yes, Stephen King didn’t care much for Kubrick’s movie adaption of his book, he also wasn’t fond of Nicholson’s performance as Jack!
He is quoted as saying, “I’d admired Kubrick for a long time and had great expectations for the project, but I was deeply disappointed in the end result. Parts of the film are chilling, charged with a relentlessly claustrophobic terror, but others fell flat.”
I’m sure he’s still glad the movie was a success, right?
4. The Origin of the Famous Halloween Mask
Halloween is another horror classic that many people are familiar with, even if they’ve never seen the movie. The most iconic part of the franchise is the chilling white mask worn by the villain of the series, Michael Myers.
The original script did not specify a particular type of mask, only detailing that it should be the pale, neutral features of a man.
Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace headed down to a costume store and ended up buying a Captain Kirk mask. After painting it white, the blank stare on the mask’s face became the perfect costume for Myers.
3. Tension on the Set of the Notebook
The Notebook might be a movie filled with love and romance, but the same could not be said of the dynamic of the two lead actors. In fact, you might even say it was the complete opposite!
Apparently Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams had a rough time getting along during the filming, with lots of rumors flying around about the extent of their conflict.
Gosling reportedly approached director Nick Cassavetes and begged him to replace her, saying, “I can’t. I can’t do it with her. I’m just not getting anything from this.”
Well, he sure pulled off a convincing performance in the end!
2. Jonah Hill Ended Up Hospitalized!
The Wolf of Wall Street is one of Martin Scorsese’s famous crime comedy films. Released in 2013, the movie follows the rise and fall of scam artist Jordan Belfort.
The movie contains a LOT of shenanigans, to put it lightly, one of which is drug use.
After striking it rich the main characters are clearly shown to be addicted to all kinds of substances, mainly cocaine. During filming, they used crushed vitamin powder in lieu of the actual drug, but the effects were not great for actor Jonah Hill.
In one interview he confessed, “I did so much fake cocaine in Wolf of Wall Street I got bronchitis for three weeks and had to be hospitalized.”
1. Based this Serial Killer’s Grin on Tom Cruise
American Psycho was a black comedy and psychological horror film released in 2000, starring the extremely talented Christian Bale. In the film, Bale plays the soulless and dead faced character of Patrick Bateman.
The character is known for his expression that is crazed and dead at the same time.
In order to bring the character to life, Christian Bale took inspiration from a David Letterman interview with Tom Cruise.
He actually ended up basing his performance on Tom Cruise’s behavior in that interview saying that he had a “very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes,” look that was perfect for Patrick Bateman.