15+ Shocking Behind-the-Scenes Facts About Popular Movies That You Probably Were Not Aware Of

Jessica Wilson

Making a movie is very hard work, taking a lot of time and a huge effort from hundreds of people. This process includes writing a script, building a set, turning on the cameras, and making actors say some stuff.
Productions are rife with tough decisions, weird dramas, freak accidents, and more. Sometimes, so much effort goes into making a movie, it isn’t enough to watch it over and over again. If you truly appreciate it, you have to know the details about how it was made. In these productions, we find a work that is equally rich in details and entertaining facts.
Below are some of the unexpected and engaging behind-the-scenes things that happened somewhere in between a film beginning production and finally reaching your screen of choice. You can see more here and here.

#1 Alien: Resurrection

Behind-the-Scenes FactsSource: © Alien: Resurrection / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers

In Alien: Resurrection, Ellen Ripley nets a behind-the-back basketball shot. No production tricks were needed to film it, as Sigourney Weaver actually made the shot in the first take.

#2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Source: © Terminator 2: Judgment Day / Carolco Pictures and co-producers

Arnold Schwarzenegger was paid $15 million for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Since he speaks just 700 words in the film, saying, “Hasta la vista, baby,” earned him over $85,000.

#3 Toy Story

Behind-the-Scenes FactsSource: © Toy Story / Pixar Animation Studios and co-producers© The Shining / Warner Bros. and co-producers

Toy Story has paid homage to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining multiple times. In the first Toy Story, the carpet at Sid’s house has the same pattern as the carpet of the Overlook Hotel.

#4 Titanic

Source: © Titanic / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers

Making Titanic was more expensive than the ship. Adjusted for inflation, building the ship took $200 million — the same as the movie’s budget without distribution and marketing costs.

#5 The Lord of The Rings

Behind-the-Scenes FactsSource: © The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / New Line Cinema and co-producers© TuckerFTW / Wikimedia Commons© CC BY-SA 4.0

Christopher Lee, who played Saruman in The Lord of The Rings trilogy, was the only member of the cast that actually met J.R.R. Tolkien.

#6 Star Wars

Behind-the-Scenes FactsSource: © Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace / Lucasfilm and co-producers

The communicator that Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi used in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was actually a modified Gillette Sensor Excel shaver.

#7 Wayne’s World

Source: © Wayne's World / Paramount Pictures and co-producers

The appearance of Bohemian Rhapsody in the iconic car scene of Wayne’s World propelled the song to its peak in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, cementing its status as a rock classic.

#8 Fight Club

Source: © Fight Club / New Regency Productions and co-producers

According to David Fincher, director of Fight Club, there is a Starbucks cup in every scene of the movie.

#9 Titanic

Source: © Titanic / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers

It took 2 hours and 40 minutes for the Titanic to sink, which is the exact same as the runtime of the movie without credits and present-day scenes.

#10 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Behind-the-Scenes FactsSource: © The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring / New Line Cinema and co-producers

While filming The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Sean Bean would arrive at shooting locations, often located on mountaintops, by hiking instead of by helicopter.

#11 The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers

Behind-the-Scenes FactsSource: © The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / New Line Cinema and co-producers© On the set - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / New Line Cinema and co-producers

A large portion of the Riders of Rohan from The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers were actually female horse riders wearing fake beards.

#12 The Passion of the Christ

Source: © The Passion of the Christ / Icon Productions and co-producers

Jim Caviezel, who played the role of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, was struck by lightning while filming the sermon on the mount scene.

#13 Halloween II

Source: © Halloween II / Universal Pictures and co-producers© Star Trek: The Motion Picture / Paramount Pictures and co-producers

The mask that Michael Myers has worn since the first Halloween movie is actually a modified rubber mask from Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner.

#14 The Dark Knight

Source: © The Dark Knight / Warner Bros. and co-producers

Heath Ledger’s version of The Joker was so scary that Michael Caine, who played Alfred in The Dark Knight, forgot all of his lines the first time he saw Ledger on set.

#15 Pulp Fiction

Source: © Nirvana / YouTube© Pulp Fiction / A Band Apart and co-producers

According to Courtney Love, Quentin Tarantino had offered the role of Lance to Kurt Cobain, which would have made him part of the cast of Pulp Fiction.

#16 City Lights

Source: © City Lights / Charles Chaplin Productions and co-producers

Charlie Chaplin was a known perfectionist. One of the opening scenes of the silent movie, City Lights, took 342 takes to shoot.

#17 Iron Man

Source: © Iron Man / Marvel Studios and co-producers

Jarvis, Tony Stark’s butler, first appears in the Movies as Stark’s A.I. system in Iron Man. There, his name is an acronym that stands for “Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.”

#18 The Hunger Games

Behind-the-Scenes FactsSource: © The Hunger Games / Lionsgate and co-producers

While filming The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence knocked out Josh Hutcherson. She accidentally kicked him in the temple after claiming that she could kick over his head.