Secrets from Romantic Movies
Who doesn’t love an ooey-gooey love story? Throw in some comedy or any other genre and you have a nearly endless mix of cinematic fun. When we get to watch some of our favorite stars finding “true love” on screen we can’t help but smile. Our hearts also warm up a bit to the idea of finding a special someone for ourselves! As magical and romantic as many movies are, sometimes the real sweet details are taking place behind the scenes! Whether it’s certain stars finding their dream role, a lot takes place to make a great romance flick. Stock up on tissues, clutch your pearls, and get ready for some of the most heart-warming, soul-affirming, romantic movie secrets of all time!
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of those odd films that strikes a chord that can’t quite be heard in any other movie. It tackles some big topics like love, moving on, forgiveness, and other heavy-handed things like that. It also features Jim Carrey in one of his best roles EVER. The troubled but evident love between Clementine and Joel can be felt from the very beginning.
Part of what makes their relationship feel so real is the commitment both stars showed to their roles. Apparently, both characters had chemistry on screen as well as off. A lot of Carrey and Kate Winslet’s dialogue wasn’t part of the script! Much of it was made up between the two actors while bonding over part loves and other fun stuff when the cameras were off!
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is one of those timeless and groundbreaking films that elevates the source material to unprecedented heights. Based on a successful short story, this movie tells the tale of two cowboys who find themselves, each other, and love, while working hard to provide for their future. While neither actor seemed to have qualms about the film, they also found some unexpected surprises while filming!
Ledger ended up meeting and entering into a relationship with his co-star Michelle Williams! They even had a kiddo together before the film premiered (to whom Jake Gyllenhaal is the godfather). All sorts of love bloomed on that mountain and we got a great film out of those stories as well!
Pride & Prejudice
Keira Knightly isn’t just a pretty face! According to Pride & Prejudice‘s director Joe Wright, she was almost too pretty for the part of Elizabeth! During auditions, Wright was having a hard time finding the main character’s perfect actor. While many tried, Knightly got closest to embodying the role. However, based on looks alone, Wright thought she was overqualified.
Once he met her his opinion quickly changed. Knightly’s tomboyish attitude and flair balanced out her attractiveness in just the right way. That’s an odd way of telling someone they got the job, but it kind of worked out (right)?
10 Things I Hate About You
Julia Stiles is the queen of the late 90s and early 00s cinema. If you’d like to disagree please file your complaint in the nearest trash can. Also, watch 10 Things I Hate About You. This modern retake of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” is pretty dope. Not only is the cast ridiculously talented, but they’re all pretty cool. During filming, everyone got along really well!
The only tears shed happened around the time Kat is reciting the poem for the camera. That scene seems pretty well-rehearsed. However, you wouldn’t know it from the movie. The scene used in the film was the very first (and only) take they did. When Kat is getting misty-eyed at the end those turned out to be real tears!
Notting Hill
Nobody can act quite as well as Julia Roberts can. From Pretty Woman to Erin Brockovich, Roberts has starred in some name-making films. After a while, people just started creating movies for her to star in! 1999’s Notting Hill is the perfect example. This movie was literally written with Roberts in mind to play the lead.
While the filmmakers knew it was a long shot, they sent her the script in hopes she would say yes. As it turned out, it was one of the best rom coms she had ever come across! The rest…well, the rest is history!
Pretty Woman
This film almost didn’t get made the way we know it. Thanks to Julia Roberts, we got Richard Gere to star in this iconic 90s hit. How? Easy. She asked nicely. While Roberts had already signed on, Gere wasn’t too impressed. For whatever reason, he was still debating whether this movie would be good for him or not. In the end, Roberts asked him on a Post-It to please say yes to the movie.
Something so sweet and genuine can’t be rejected, right? Certainly not! He acquiesced and the world celebrated after the movie premiered! It just wouldn’t be the same flick without either of them and audiences wouldn’t have it any other way. Post-It should send her a gift basket or something.
Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing isn’t just about being dirty…or how to dance. It’s a combination of the two and how they relate to a wild summer of discovering oneself. It’s a feeling. It’s an experience. It’s a cinematic event that almost didn’t happen! Patrick Swayze may be light on his feet and strong on the lifts, but his personality isn’t always the best for some. According to Jennifer Grey, she almost refused to be involved with the project because of Swayze.
Why? She and Swayze worked together on Red Dawn in the past and it wasn’t a great experience. Sure, that movie isn’t very light on its message or tone. However, Swayze’s own run-ins with Grey while filming made things even more dramatic than they should have been. He had to personally talk to Grey and convince her to be in Dirty Dancing with him after whatever transpired on Red Dawn’s set.
Before Sunrise
The Before series is a beautiful and dramatic love story told in three parts. The first is probably the most important (depending on how you look at it). The entire premise behind Jesse and Celine’s meeting and eventual romance is just too picturesque. Things like that don’t happen in the real world…until they do. The inspiration for the series actually came from two separate experiences from the director and one of the writers.
Both of them happened to meet strangers while on a trip that happened to change their lives. If anything, the entire series is a loving testament to those short memories. Even the smallest of moments can turn into massive projects that go up for major awards.
Jerry Maguire
It’s hard to think of a time when some of Hollywood’s brightest and most talented actors weren’t worth two pennies. What many don’t realize is that if someone isn’t working, then they’re not doing much of anything in the film industry. Stars may shine bright, but they need a stage to shine on. By the time Renée Zellweger was being considered for Jerry Maguire, she was both successful as well as broke.
That’s an odd combination but not entirely unheard of in the film industry. Despite starring in films prior, the actor hadn’t worked in so long she couldn’t even use an ATM! Jerry Maguire wasn’t just a great film for everyone involved. It also helped keep on Zellweger’s lights before she made another hit film!
Titanic
One of the somewhat awkward things about finding your perfect romantic partner is the first time they see you naked. It’s an intimate, vulnerable, and somewhat awkward thing that happens to all of us at some point. Even stars don’t really know how to handle themselves with nudity (in front of strangers). When Kate Winslet got a luxury ticket to sail on the Titanic it came with a caveat. She had to fall in love with Leonardo DiCaprio.
She also had to be naked in front of him almost immediately after meeting the guy. That didn’t faze someone like Winslet. The experienced actor knew there could be no weirdness in a nude scene. To circumvent that, she flashed DiCaprio when they first met! We’re not sure if that helped at all, but was a way to say hello!
Sleepless in Seattle
Do you ever stay up at night wondering who your true love is? They could be nearly ANYONE! Perhaps they’re closer than you think. Perhaps they’re even already in your family tree. We’re not advocating for some sort of stereotypical Southern joke here. What we are saying is that Tom Hanks has kissed his sister.
Despite playing brother and sister in Sleepless in Seattle, Tom Hanks actually married the actress in real life! Okay, let’s set the record straight: they were married BEFORE the film. Oh, and they’re also not at all related. It’s just a weird coincidence that just makes the film that much more interesting.
West Side Story
One of the country’s, if not the world’s, greatest actors is Rita Moreno! The EGOT (Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony) decorated actor got one of her biggest breaks ever as Anita in the film version of West Side Story. The 1961 musical film was a MASSIVE hit, to say the least. Unfortunately, for all the good it did the actors (and the musical industry) it did some harm as well.
Despite being Puerto Rican, Moreno had to endure layers and layers of thick dark makeup to match the artificial skin tones on her (non-Puerto Rican) costars! How in the world did that get approved? It wasn’t the first time Moreno had her skin darkened, but it still stands out as an upsetting moment in her career.
Love & Basketball
Sometimes movies imitate real life. Other times real life seems like a movie. Then there are those rare moments where the two perfectly complement each other. In the 2000 hit Love & Basketball, we get a quick lesson in sports and how romance forms in and around them. Things get rough and there’s a scene where one of the mains is pushed hard enough to receive a scar.
Ouch! That can’t be fun. Instead of using some movie makeup magic, the star (Sanaa Lathan) had a better idea: just use the scar she already had! The mark on her cheek we see for the rest of the film is actually hers! That’s one way to avoid sitting in the makeup chair for hours on end.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Grammar issues aside, Bridget Jones’s Diary is just one of three incredible films where Renée Zellweger truly shines. This character just can’t help but look for love on her terms (and keep a record of everything). The film became a MASSIVE hit (as did the sequels). They’re also seriously funny in just the right parts (and heartwarming in the rest).
Part of what made them so great was that they were all directed by female directors! The Diary series also became one of the first romantic comedy series of the 00s. Those are both pretty big things to boast about.
50 First Dates
The secret to creating the perfect Adam Sandler movie isn’t too complicated. Get some loud jokes, beautiful locations, a funny script, and some self-referential moments together. Then just blend them up and toss on a random theme (golfing, inheritance, becoming a parent). If you look at it that way, then 50 First Dates is pretty much the perfect film.
Don’t believe us? Rewatch the scene where people are golfing. Sandler’s character remarks on what a dumb swing the other golfer has. As it turns out, the swing is an homage to another Sandler classic: Happy Gilmore! It’s kind of funny, and a bit odd, to think that all these different films take place in the same universe.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Once you get over the ridiculous premise, My Best Friend’s Wedding is a pretty fun movie! Anything featuring Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz is bound to be a good time. If you watch closely, you’ll see that maybe a few other familiar friends are just off-screen…kind of. The wedding dress in the film is a vintage piece! Before this movie, it was worn by Rachel on the first episode of Friends!
Talk about a legacy garment. While it’s no secret that wardrobes make their way around different lots, this is pretty major. Just how many stars have been almost fake-married in that dress? Now we wonder which suits certain stars have worn throughout the years…
500 Days of Summer
Some of the best romance films are the ones where we already know how it’s going to end. Bonus points if it somehow ends horribly. Extra special bonus points if the ending has nothing to do at all with the plot. No spoilers (but kind of spoilers) that’s 500 Days of Summer. It’s a neat film that takes what you know about movies and switches things up. It also has a very distinct color palette throughout the majority of the film.
What’s the significance of all that blue? As it turns out, there’s a very good reason: the lead’s eyes. With her striking eye color, the director wanted to find a way to highlight Zooey Deschanel that was unique as well as not too obvious. How would they do it? He just used the blue to highlight how vivid her peepers are!
Her
Can artificial intelligence be taught what love is? Maybe. We’re not sure. What we are sure of is that Her is a pretty interesting film. Spike Jonze led an all-star cast through a pretty trippy film and nearly everyone came out the other end better for it. Unfortunately, one of the major stars was left on the cutting room floor in the process. The AI was voiced by actor Samantha Morton.
However, during editing, Jonze realized something didn’t fit. He then went and cast Scarlett Johansson to re-record all of Morton’s lines (and shoot new scenes) at the last minute! While Morton is still credited as a producer, it seems kind of robotic to just leave all of her work behind due to a whim.
Casablanca
Proms, weddings, dances, and even entire events are themed around the dramatic love story of Casablanca. Despite it being a movie, a whole lot of emotions went into making this classic flick from 1942. Not only were there restrictions on building sets (due to WW2), but some scenes couldn’t even be shot at airports! Despite the troubles, a great film was made.
Part of what makes it great are the performances put on by the cast. Despite it being just a movie, even some of the extras got choked up at certain scenes. Oddly enough, many of the extras playing Nazi soldiers were actually actors that had escaped Nazi Germany!
Crazy, Stupid, Love
If you thought the name of this romantic film was dumb, you’re not alone. Crazy, Stupid, Love. is equal parts crazy, touching, and hilarious. You may not get any of that from the name. Even the star of the film (Steve Carell) can’t stand the name! He states that it doesn’t make sense or sound like something people want to watch.
If he had it his way, Carell said he would have changed the title of the movie to The Wingman. The actor said it better encapsulates what the point of the movie is really about. While it may be more accurate, it wouldn’t stand out nearly as well as Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Love Actually
What’s it time to talk about? Well, Love. Haha, see what we did there? With a movie as chaotic and jam-packed as Love Actually, you need a good sense of humor. It helps with some of the more revealing scenes in this film. But some of the actors thought differently. At least one of them had so much fun shooting that they refused to be paid for it!
After filming the scene where he’s undressed by some women over twenty times, actor Kris Marshall refused to consider it work. He said it was so much fun that the experience was the only payment he needed. Then he returned his earnings from that day!
A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born is a timeless classic with a ton of different versions. Each iteration of the story brings something new and memorable. With some soul, rock, and a lot of heart, the film has a lot of beautiful moments working for it. In the 2018 version featuring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, some realism was tapped into to get the tone of certain scenes just right.
Bradley Cooper has done many interviews where he’s talked about his own troubled past with substance dependency. Just like the character he plays in the film, Cooper explains the importance that sobriety has played in his personal as well as professional life.
The Fault in Our Stars
We’re not crying. You’re crying. Fine. We’re all crying. The Fault in Our Stars is a heartbreaking, mending, and re-breaking type of story that’s equal parts beautiful and devastating. Not many novels can evoke such emotion from people (especially those targeting a young adult audience). The movie also holds up in the drama department.
Even the sets are emotionally charged. One set in particular though is a bit more fabricated than others. For the scenes filmed at the Anne Frank House, the crew had to build their own version of the space. Why? Because the original museum didn’t allow them to place the equipment inside the real room to do some filming.
Love, Simon
Coming out isn’t always the easiest thing for people. While it’s a very personal decision, others’ journeys to discovering themselves can have profound effects on the people around them. Those moments are part of what makes Love, Simon such a great movie. It’s a great coming out tale that shows a realistic experience for some displayed on the big screen.
Coincidentally, the star of the film, Nick Robinson, experienced someone coming out as soon as the film began production. His younger brother came out while Robinson was shooting the picture! Not only did the movie possibly help Robinson understand what his brother was going through, but it may have helped some people in the audience as well.
Moulin Rouge!
Everyone can be a great singer and dancer! All it takes is time, dedication, pain, suffering, and a bit of talent. Before Moulin Rouge! nobody thought that Nicole Kidman was the singing and dancing type. Okay, maybe a few did, but not everyone. Proving them all wrong, she delivered a song and dance like no other and helped bring Moulin Rouge! to the big screen!
It’s a beautiful love story of gargantuan proportions! With some huge dance numbers, a few injuries may be a given. Even after fracturing some ribs and messing up her knee, Kidman knew that the show must go on! She continued to film her scenes from a wheelchair until she was well enough to get her legs back into the picture.
Romeo + Juliet
Retellings of classic Shakespearean works can go either really well or really poorly. One route filmmakers take is to modernize everything aside from the plot of a story. In Baz Lurhman’s case, he kept the entire script but made everything else from Romeo & Juliet into a downtown LA shoot-em-up. It’s a weird description, but if you watch Romeo + Juliet then you’ll see what we’re talking about.
Even behind the scenes, things were pretty dramatic on the sets of a modern Verona. The lead hair stylist ended up being kidnapped during production! Lurhman had to negotiate and pay a ransom for the stylist’s safe return! Did they get a raise after that?
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The business of movies and how they’re made is pretty complicated. We can’t even begin to wrap our heads around the numbers that some of these actors and producers are netting! You need a pretty savvy accountant (or manager) to make any sort of bank in that industry. You also may need to just take an unconventional deal.
Instead of getting paid for appearing in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Andie MacDowell wanted something else. Instead of cash, she just wanted a percentage of the film’s take. That turned out to be a pretty good deal. Instead of making six figures like some of the actors, MacDowell walked away with around seven figures (i.e. millions)!
Enchanted
Enchanted was Disney’s modern way of bridging the gap between animation and live-action. The traditional story of a princess and evil queen was turned on its head when the animated main character splashed into the real world! While everyone watched the princess explore New York, her future prince was stealing the show. When Edward appears and starts trying to navigate the non-animated world he’s about as clueless as Giselle.
When he decides to catch a bus and ride on its roof, people on set were pretty impressed. The unscripted tourists that couldn’t help but cheer and wave to him during filming? They were going WILD! The bus full of people wasn’t part of the film. They just happened to be driving by.
The Notebook
Considered one of the greatest love stories of our time, The Notebook had a massive wave of popularity that’s still sailing around the world today. Who wouldn’t want to be involved in something as tumultuous and heartbreakingly satisfying as the relationship between Allie and Noah? We know at least two people: the stars of the movie. Apparently, during the filming, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams could not stand working together.
They were always bickering and at each other’s throats! Seeing as how these two needed to pretend to be in love, they eventually had to have an intervention for their harsh words. Eventually, the two found a way to put their differences aside enough to get the job done. That doesn’t mean it was a fairytale romance on set.
Gone With The Wind
Nobody enjoys it (except for that guy in Little Shop of Horrors) but go to the dentist. It’s just one of those things you gotta do to stay healthy. Dental hygiene has come a long way in recent years. It’s vastly improved since the time Gone With The Wind was filmed. In 1939 getting safe fillings and crowns wasn’t so easy. Clark Gable, the always dreaming Rhett Butler, apparently had a mouth full of fake teeth.
Due to their construction, or Clark’s own habits, they weren’t smelling like roses. This made kissing him for the camera tough. It didn’t help that he had a habit of eating garlic before he took to the set, either!
The Princess Bride
It’s inconceivable to talk about great movies and their secrets without mentioning The Princess Bride. A book turned movie turned phenomenon, this film defined a generation (or two) and set the bar high for adventure and comedy flicks. There are so many fun details that are handled exceptionally well: a man with more than the normal number of fingers, a giant with a heart of gold, the list goes on forever.
The actors involved were completely committed to their role. Even the guy who attacked our masked hero took his job seriously. He knocked his scene partner out! Filming had to be delayed so the doctor could recover in the hospital.
The Graduate
Movies are really super-duper expensive to make. There are so many unforeseen costs that pop up. It’s always great to save a few bucks here and there. Movie people are always looking for ways to come under budget. A great way to save some green is by having the actors provide their own costumes. Sometimes the actors dress just the way producers want. It’s a win-win!
Why not have them show up to work already dressed? That’s what happened on the set of The Graduate. It probably saves a bunch of time trying on clothes, too. When everyone works together then things run smoother. Plus, the studio probably doesn’t have to pay the laundry fees.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s
If you’ve ever come across a photo of Audrey Hepburn, chances are she was dressed in her iconic role as Holly Golightly. People who have never heard of the film will recognize her in those giant black sunglasses. The look is a pop culture staple that’s here to stay. But did you know a famous blonde almost took the role instead?
Truman Capote, the author behind the book the film’s based on, pictured Holly as Marilyn Monroe. She could’ve easily landed the role, but her drama coach advised against it. We can imagine her furious after the movie turned out to be a major success. But despite Capote’s vision, we can’t picture Holly Golightly as a blonde!
Edward Scissorhands
This 90s fantasy film is one of Tim Burton’s greatest. The premise couldn’t be more absurd, but the story will absolutely tug at your heartstrings. It also sparked the friendship between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, as this was the first film they worked on together. But before agreeing to a role you must read the script first…
Apparently Depp was deeply moved by the screenplay. To say he was left in tears would be an understatement! That’s okay, the rest of us were pretty emotional by the end of the film. The unlikely romance between Edward and Kim gets us every time. How could you NOT cry?
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Who doesn’t love an action-comedy that features two of the hottest celebrities in Hollywood? This movie wasn’t just known for its action sequences and leading stars, there was quite a bit of gossip that surrounded Jolie and Pitt after the movie was released. But things could’ve taken a very different turn if the casting had gone as planned.
Would Brad and Nicole have gotten hitched instead? Or was it fate that brought Brangelina together? We guess we’ll never know. What we do know is that this film plus Ocean’s Twelve gave Brad Pitt a super packed schedule. He had to leave the set for three months for shooting!
Knocked Up
Knocked Up is Seth Rogen’s first time starring in a film, and he definitely solidified his place in the world of 2000s comedy. Originally meant to be a sequel to the 40-year-old Virgin, this film follows a one-night stand gone wrong. An unlikely couple finds themselves with the responsibility of caring for a child, as the film’s title would imply. But this American slang doesn’t translate particularly well into other languages.
The film titles abroad are more than a little funny when translated, though they don’t sound especially compelling. The star power in this movie had to be the main grab for foreign audiences, the titles didn’t add too much intrigue!
La La Land
Every now and then a movie will come out that just stomps on top of the competition in unprecedented ways. La La Land is one such movie. A musical of such proportions could rarely sweep the world, but it did. Everything about the film is so touching and carefully placed, it’s hard to imagine anything being a last-minute addition. If you ask Ryan Gosling, one of the lines in the film is just that.
When he says, “…that’s L.A. They worship everything and they value nothing,” it wasn’t in the original script! Gosling’s partner (actor and business mogul Eva Mendes) said it to him as a joke one day. He liked it so much that he found a way to slip it into the film.
She’s All That
There’s something about She’s All That that always feels a bit familiar. We really couldn’t figure out what it was. Then it clicked! We’ve all been to the same high school in the movie. If you’re a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Not Another Teen Movie, or just the California Public Education System, then you know it too.
The high school scenes in the film were shot in the same place as Buffy! Sarah Michelle Geller even makes a small cameo in the film (probably because Buffy was on her way to class). Does this mean there’s another version of this movie with vampires? We’d be down for that sequel.
Annie Hall
With the ability to take down Star Wars at the Oscars, Annie Hall is a film classic with some MASSIVE talent to back up its legacy. Featuring the talents of Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, and Shelley Duvall, this new take on romance turned the genre on its head in ’77. This fourth-wall-breaking film was a trailblazer in how to retell the classic American romantic comedy.
Maybe it helped that some of its funnier bits were completely unscripted! In the scene featuring Allen and some dubious white powder, the actor couldn’t help but sneeze! The test audience found it so funny (despite the tone) that they kept the sneeze in the film.