Surprise Movie Trivia
Back in September I posted a blog with Random Movie Secrets for those who, like me, love the world of cinema. I love trivia tidbits of all types, but especially when it comes to movies. I hope y’all enjoy these!
Captain America ~ Hayley Atwell surprisingly touching Chris Evans’ chest, as he emerged from the pod upon turning into Captain America, was very much improvised, and the surprise on her face is genuine. She admitted in interviews that she was very taken by Chris’ physique and nearly broke character. Seriously, can you blame her?
Apocalypse Now ~ The original raw footage consisted of 1,250,000 feet of film which is over 230 hours’ worth.
Psycho ~ The horror classic by Alfred Hitchcock was the first American film ever to show a flushing toilet.
The Notebook ~ Ryan Gosling was cast as Noah because the director wanted someone “not handsome.”
Golden Eye ~ Pierce Brosnan was contractually forbidden from wearing a full tuxedo in any non-James Bond movie from 1995-2002.
Guardians of the Galaxy ~ Chris Pratt apparently stole his Star-Lord costume from the set, for the sole purpose of having it available so he could show up in costume to visit sick children in the hospital, who might want to meet Star-Lord.
Titanic ~ The charcoal drawing of Kate Winslet in James Cameron’s masterpiece was actually drawn by James Cameron.
The Usual Suspects ~ The childish snickering during the movie’s iconic police line-up scene was genuine, caused by Benicio Del Toro’s persistent flatulence.
Terminator ~ O.J. Simpson was considered for the Terminator role that eventually went to Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the producers feared he was “too nice” to be taken seriously as a cold-blooded killer. “Plus, frankly,” Cameron said, “I wasn’t interested in an African-American man chasing around a white girl with a knife.” WOW!
Chaplin ~ Stars considered for the role of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin included Jeff Bridges, Nicholas Cage, Jim Carrey, and Tom Hanks. The role was cast by Robert Downey Jr., who won a BAFTA Best Actor award and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
Shrek ~ Mike Myers initially voiced lovable ogre Shrek in his natural voice with an amped-up version of his Canadian accent. However, when listening to the rough cut, he thought Shrek would sound better with a Scottish accent to counter Lord Farquaad’s English accent. The re-recording of his lines cost $4 million.
Snow White and The Seven Dwarves ~ This was the first movie ever to release a motion picture soundtrack. Released in January 1938 as a collection (Victor J-8) of three 78rpm singles, each of the singles became a Top 10 hit simultaneously in February 1938.
Pulp Fiction ~ The grizzly scene where John Travolta jams a needle into Uma Thurman’s chest to try to revive her from her overdose was actually filmed backwards.
The Joker ~ Joaquin Phoenix lost a total of 52 pounds to play the Joker. When filming ended, he quickly gained 25 pounds back.
The African Queen ~ Filmed on location in Africa, everyone on the set got dysentery from drinking contaminated water. Everyone, that is, except for Humphrey Bogart and director John Huston, because they drank nothing but straight scotch!
Halloween ~ The mask worn by actor Michael Myers is William Shatner’s face, or specifically, his Star Trek character, Captain Kirk. There wasn’t money in the 1978 horror film’s budget to create a custom mask, so the art director bought a Captain Kirk mask. The crew spray-painted it white, and adjusted the eyes and hair to create the terrifying mask.
Singin’ In The Rain ~ The scene where Gene Kelly famously sings and dances on a New York street in the rain took days to properly set up. Then, on the day all was ready, Kelly showed up to filming with a fever of 103F. Despite being so ill, the actor insisted on doing one take before the director sent him home. That take was perfect and is the one kept in the film!
The Matrix ~ Those green symbols trailing down the computer screens as code aren’t complicated algorithms. A production designer scanned symbols from his wife’s sushi cookbooks, then manipulated them to create the iconic “code.”
Great post! I knew that about Gene Kelly,as I am a big fan of his! Interesting facts,love the pic of the guys laughing!
The last films I saw at the cinema were Titanic and Goldeneye (I think! I know it was a James Bond film with Pierce Brosnan!) I used to go regularly until I started having trouble with my legs making sitting for long stretches uncomfortable. When I got a video player I used to hire films for a week but usually it was my children’s choice. Now I wait until they come on TV. (Apart from my P&P DVDs)
Same here on hitting the theater. Last for me was The Joker, which is an amazing movie but not necessarily a must-see in-cinema experience. I loved the movie theater experience, but between not having a theater here in Bardstown (thank you Covid hysteria for shutting that down), not wanting to leave the doggies alone, and Hollyweird creating crap, those days are long gone I fear. My only sadness really is never eating the popcorn, which really is the best.
I knew about the Halloween mask but the thing about getting Ryan Gosling because he wanted somebody not handsome… really? Not handsome enough to temp him, right? xD
Those types of trivia bits are so funny to me! Like with Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood both being told they could not act (at different times by different directors, but still!) LOL!