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
Source: © 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
Source: © 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
Source: © 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
Source: © 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
Source: © 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
Source: © 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
Source: © 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.