26 Christopher Walken’s Circus Past
At 16, Christopher Walken worked as a lion tamer in a circus, performing alongside a lioness named Sheba. He fondly described her as “very sweet” and likened her to a dog. Walken took this unique summer job before pursuing acting, stating, “Who’s going to turn that down?”
27. Philip Seymour Hoffman chose not to create a trust for his children, wanting to avoid raising “trust fund babies.” This decision led to a $12 million estate tax bill, which he could have avoided with a trust fund.
28. Burt Reynolds declined a role in “Terms of Endearment” (1983) to star in “Stroker Ace” (1983), which was critically panned. Jack Nicholson, who accepted the role Reynolds turned down, won an Oscar for his performance.
29. Russell Crowe rejected an offer to play Aragorn in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which included 10% of the backend grosses, worth would have been worth about $100 million. He felt Warner Bros. pressured director Peter Jackson into making the offer and believed Jackson should hire his preferred candidate.
30. Tommy Lee Jones openly disliked working with Jim Carrey on the set of “Batman Forever” (1995). When Carrey greeted him, Jones responded, “I hate you. I really don’t like you… I cannot sanction your buffoonery!”
31 Walken’s Unique Speech Cadence
Christopher Walken attributes his distinctive speech pattern to growing up surrounded by non-native English speakers. Their pauses while searching for the right words influenced his way of speaking.
32. In 1986, Pierce Brosnan was offered the role of James Bond after NBC canceled “Remington Steele.” However, the publicity increased the show’s ratings, leading to its renewal. Consequently, Brosnan returned, forcing producers to find another Bond.
33. Joe Pesci disliked the early call times during the filming of “Home Alone” (1990) because they interfered with his morning golf routine. After he complained to the assistant director, the call times were adjusted from 7 to 9 A.M. just for him.
34. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, who are married, share the same birthday, though they are 25 years apart.
35. Javier Bardem’s portrayal of Anton Chigurh in “No Country for Old Men” (2007) was deemed the ‘Most Realistic Depiction of a Psychopath’ by psychologists in the “Journal of Forensic Sciences.”
36 Waltz’s Award-Winning Performances
Christoph Waltz received 15 nominations for his roles in “Inglourious Basterds” (2009) and “Django Unchained” (2012). He won 11 awards, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and BAFTA Awards for both films.
37. During the filming of “The Score” (2001), tension between Marlon Brando and director Frank Oz led Brando to refuse to be on set with Oz. Consequently, co-star Robert De Niro directed Brando, with Oz communicating through De Niro.
38. Lisa Robertson, a Qantas flight attendant, lost her job after having a sexual encounter with Ralph Fiennes (known for playing Voldemort) in a business class lavatory.
39. While filming “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998), Benicio Del Toro immersed himself so deeply into the character of Dr. Gonzo that he burned himself with cigarettes, mimicking the real Oscar Zeta Acosta.
40. After securing the role of Rustin Cohle in “True Detective” Season 1, Matthew McConaughey prepared by writing a 450-page analysis titled “Four Stages of Rustin Cohle,” detailing his character’s journey throughout the season.
41 Jeff Bridges’ Long Quest for “The Giver”
Jeff Bridges spent over a decade trying to bring “The Giver” (2014) to the screen. Initially, he wanted his father, Lloyd Bridges, to play the title character. However, by the time production began, his father had passed away, and Jeff was old enough to play the role himself.
42. Christian Bale underwent dental work to perfect his teeth for “American Psycho” (2000), aligning with the superficial appearance of his character, Patrick Bateman.
43. Gary Oldman almost played General Grievous in “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” (2005). However, he relinquished the role upon discovering that George Lucas was using non-union actors.
44. When “Fight Club” premiered at the 1999 Venice Film Festival, the audience booed loudly. During this, Brad Pitt turned to Ed Norton and remarked, “That’s the best movie I’m ever going to be in.”
45. When Ben Stiller decided to play the lead in “Tropic Thunder” (2008), Tom Cruise called him, saying he couldn’t get the script out of his mind. Stiller then suggested the role of studio head Les Grossman, a character Cruise had actually invented, and Cruise accepted it.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
46 Matt Damon’s “Good Will Hunting” Origins
Matt Damon wrote the first draft of “Good Will Hunting’s” first act as a playwriting class assignment during his fifth year at Harvard. The only scene that survived verbatim from the original draft was the first meeting between Damon’s character and Robin Williams’ character.
47. Mel Gibson was actually born in the United States in 1956 but then moved to Australia in 1968 when his father relocated the family.
48. The famous lineup scene in “The Usual Suspects” (1995) was intended to be serious. However, director Bryan Singer became frustrated when none of the actors could maintain a straight face due to Benicio Del Toro farting during nearly 12 takes. Eventually, Singer used the funniest takes.
49. Michael Jackson frequently prank-called Russell Crowe, despite never having met him in person.
50. Classic film actor Spencer Tracy was gravely ill during his last film, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967). Katherine Hepburn offered her salary to ensure the film’s completion, as insurance wouldn’t cover Tracy. He passed away just two weeks after filming concluded.
RE: Fact #37 (Brando and Oz’s On-Set Tension) – Seriously, I heard Brando’s doctor wrote him a note saying he was allergic to Frank Oz—couldn’t be around him on set!
RE: Fact #24 (Ben Kingsley’s Name Change Success) – It’s pretty cool how he’s played so many different ethnicities—his name, accent, and looks are so ambiguous.
RE: Fact #1 (Henry Cavill’s Almost Iconic Roles) – He was the rich, mean bully in Stardust, the one who gives Robert De Niro a look at the end. He was also in The Count of Monte Cristo.
RE: Fact #2 (Patrick Stewart’s Surprising Star Trek Casting) – Stewart was puzzled – a middle-aged, bald, English Shakespearean actor as Captain Kirk? He even had a wig shipped from London, hoping to impress the Paramount folks, but Roddenberry told him to ditch the awful thing. His booming voice did the trick though; they loved him instantly. And that’s how we got “Engage!”
So, John Pike from Paramount tells this great story in that doc, *Chaos on the Bridge*. Patrick did a fantastic read, but his British accent and that awful toupee… oof. Gene was like, “Hey, that number two guy, Patrick Stewart, let’s get him back!” They found him, and he’d already ditched the hairpiece. Gene said, “Bring him in, bald head and all!” Seriously, the guy’s practically shiny, not a hair in sight. He reads the part, kills it, and Gene’s all, “We got him!” I told Gene, “He’s totally bald! We can’t make the Captain bald!” Gene just looked at me and said, “Hair’s not a thing in the 25th century.”
Pat Stewart’s got one of the world’s most impressive bald heads. A story with that in it? That’s a good story.
RE: Fact #5 (Robert Reed’s Brady Bunch Struggles) – I saw this old Hollywood show once, and they talked about a scene where Carol and Alice were making strawberry jam. Mike was supposed to say it smelled amazing, but he wouldn’t because cooked strawberries don’t really have much of a scent. The script had Mike walking in and saying the kitchen smelled like “strawberry heaven,” but one of the writers, Reed, who was super careful about details, looked it up – I think in an encyclopedia – and found out strawberries don’t smell when they’re cooking. So he told the show’s creator he wouldn’t say the line.
Robert Reed skipped the final Brady Bunch episode because he hated the plot—thought it was a dumb, old-fashioned idea. He complained big time to the studio, so Sherwood Schwartz just wrote him out and then fired him.
Sherwood Schwartz dropped him from the episode and then canned him from the whole show.
Seriously, how would that even work? Mike ditching the kids? No way in a family show. Divorce? Nope, still not a family show thing, plus that would totally split up the family. Killing the dad? How would they pay the bills and keep the maid?
He’s a real pain, but I gotta hand it to him, he’s really committed to this movie.
RE: Fact #35 (Bardem’s Realistic Psychopath Role) – Hold still, please.
That scene really got to me. The guy was just being a good citizen, and then *bam*. Even though it’s a movie, seeing innocent people die always messes with me. This one was especially brutal—totally unnecessary.
I get that same feeling when innocent people get killed in movies. I think it’s because we secretly believe we’re safe as long as we’re good. We see ourselves in those innocent characters. So, when they die, it feels like *we* die, and that’s seriously disturbing.
I really hated that movie. Nothing got resolved, and while I don’t need a happy ending, it just felt pointless. It might be realistic, I guess, but I wanted something more than just feeling totally bummed out.
It wasn’t pointless. He needed to ditch his car, secretly. Anton doesn’t care about people, but he’s smart enough. That scene alone shows he’s a cold-blooded killer. Sure, killing the deputy could’ve been a desperate escape attempt. But that cattle gun shot? He’s totally detached, emotionally.
RE: Fact #20 (Philadelphia’s Chronological Filming) – Hanks also starred in *Castaway*, and there was a whole year break in filming while he lost a ton of weight and let his hair grow out.
RE: Fact #5 (Robert Reed’s Brady Bunch Struggles) – Reminds me of Alan Rickman in Galaxy Quest.
RE: Fact #46 (Matt Damon’s “Good Will Hunting” Origins) – Excerpt from an interview
So, I was almost done with Harvard, a few classes left. I took a playwriting course, the final project was a one-act play, but I ended up writing a movie script instead. I gave my professor this forty-page thing at the end of the semester and said, “Okay, maybe I bombed your class, but this is the first part of something bigger.”
They always say when you send a script to an agent, they check the first page, then jump to the middle. If it grabs them, they keep reading. They’re looking to see if you can write realistic dialogue that sounds like real people talking. This script totally nailed it – felt super authentic.
I’ll never forget the first day of filming. Afterward, Matt, Ben, and Gus gave each other a huge hug. It was their baby, more than anyone else’s.
The very first day, we were all crying. It was a scene with Robin and Stellan. When Gus yelled “action,” and we watched these amazing actors do our scene, word for word… after all the waiting, it was finally happening! I remember sitting next to Ben, tears streaming down my face – I was so happy and relieved.
We got a little teary-eyed. But why’s Matt spilling the beans now? He kept quiet for fifteen years, and now, because it’s in Boston magazine, he’s saying he cried? His career’s not over, you know? He needs people to think he’s Jason Bourne or something!
Fifth year already? Seriously?
Affleck’s one of the guys.
Ben Affleck’s just down-to-earth, smart, and totally himself.
That Mallrats DVD commentary is hilarious! Ben Affleck’s reaction to being “Buttman” was gold.
RE: Fact #2 (Patrick Stewart’s Surprising Star Trek Casting) – I was in junior high when they announced a new Star Trek: The Next Generation. Seriously, a middle-aged, bald guy with a French name as the captain? Total opposite of Kirk! It broke all the rules for leading men. A huge gamble, but I think it was key to the show’s success and to all the awesome captains we got later.
I’m not sure casting someone exactly like that was essential. Looking back, it probably seemed that way because of how amazing the actor they chose was. The whole cast was great, but Stewart is such a phenomenal actor, he really made everyone and everything better. I’m just happy it worked out that way, more than thinking it was a must-have.
Man, I hadn’t watched Star Trek in ages, maybe 20 years, but last week my partner was sick and wanted to watch First Contact, so we did. I’d never realized before how much that guy carries the whole thing – he’s amazing! Not that the other actors are bad, but he’s just on another level.
A typical 90s dreamy guy couldn’t have rocked “The Inner Light”.
Or getting tortured by Cardassians.
RE: Fact #20 (Philadelphia’s Chronological Filming) – I’m always surprised how many films don’t shoot scenes in order. Must be tough keeping track of where everything fits in the story!
RE: Fact #19 (Hoffman’s 1960s NYC Roommates) – Dustin Hoffman’s career exploded after Star Wars.
RE: Fact #6 (Robert De Niro’s Nobu Restaurant Venture) – Took my wife to Nobu in SoHo for her birthday—like, twenty years ago. The place was brand new, so we had to book months ahead. When we got there, no table, they suggested the bar. We weren’t too happy, but whatever. Then, to make up for it, Nobu himself showed up and offered us the chef’s special. He made our sushi right there in front of us! Best meal ever.
RE: Fact #44 (Fight Club Booed at Venice Festival) – That laugh… “You have no idea where I’ve been, Lou!” Seriously, it was one of his best bits.
RE: Fact #26 (Christopher Walken’s Circus Past) – Seriously, I could totally picture Christopher Walken scratching a lioness, all while cooing, “Good kitty,” and “Oh, aren’t you friendly today?”
I’d pay big bucks to see Christopher Walken whisper “psspsspsspss” at a real lion, and have the lion snuggle up to him. Then Walken could say, “You ARE…a cuddly…liTTLE lion. So…cute and cuddly…it’s crazy.”
RE: Fact #37 (Brando and Oz’s On-Set Tension) – It’s tough to say if Marlon Brando was just messing with the studios or if he was a real handful. Probably a bit of both, but I wonder if anyone ever really cracked the code.
Around 1970, he just seemed to give up caring.
I saw this PBS biopic about Rita Moreno, and there was this part where she talked about Brando. She said something like, “Have you ever loved someone so completely, you felt like you couldn’t exist without them? That’s how Marlon felt about himself.”
RE: Fact #18 (Morgan Freeman’s Prom Integration Offer) – Charleston, MS is tiny—only about 2,000 people, and a graduating class of around 80. The prom was about 40% white and 60% black, so maybe 16 white couples and 24 black couples. Two proms for that many people? Seems a little pointless, doesn’t it?
RE: Fact #44 (Fight Club Booed at Venice Festival) – That part in Fight Club where Norton gets a call from Tyler on a payphone, and the phone booth says “No Incoming Calls Allowed”—I really liked that little detail.
So, in one scene, Ed Norton’s character gets a call from the detective about his blown-up condo. Before he answers, you hear some, uh, *bedroom activity* in the background. But as soon as he picks up, it’s quiet.
There are tons of those little details. Like, they get on the bus and only Edward Norton pays – Brad Pitt just waltzes on. And when Tyler wrecks the car to teach the Narrator a lesson, Norton gets out of the driver’s seat afterward, so he was driving all along.
Cool find! Gonna rewatch it tonight. I’ve always loved this movie—I’m always spotting something new, even after all these years, and this discussion just made me want to watch it again.
What I loved most about the movie were the little hints they dropped that you only notice later on, and then BAM, it all makes sense!
Later on the bus, some guy bumped into them both, but only apologized to Norton.
RE: Fact #28 (Burt Reynolds’ Missed Oscar Opportunity) – I’d say Jack Nicholson’s maybe a tiny bit better actor than Burt Reynolds, even though that’s probably a hot take.
RE: Fact #43 (Gary Oldman Exits “Star Wars” Role) – I get where George is coming from. The unions, guilds, and studios really made things tough for him – so tough he quit the director’s guild and later refused to work with studios unless he had total control. That independence helped him, and a lot of other people, build an amazing FX studio.
So, yeah, he doesn’t use unions, but he’s got his reasons. You might disagree, but his experiences understandably left him feeling pretty bitter.
Unions aren’t bad, but they’re not for everyone. People like Adam Savage who’ve worked for him haven’t had complaints. Unions are useful, sure, but they aren’t the right fit for every situation. Gary Oldman was right to say he wouldn’t work non-union, and George was right to say he wouldn’t run a union shop.
RE: Fact #35 (Bardem’s Realistic Psychopath Role) – Huge props to whoever gave him that awful haircut – it totally amplified the psycho vibe.
RE: Fact #9 (Ving Rhames’ Lucrative Screen Time) – Jack Nicholson got paid for Batman Returns, even though he wasn’t in it! It was a “pay or play” deal, in case the Joker showed up in the next movie.
RE: Fact #34 (Zeta-Jones and Douglas Birthday Bond) – Danny DeVito actually hooked them up.
RE: Fact #15 (Washington vs. Tarantino Feud) – So, Hackman telling Denzel about those white Lipizzaner stallions? Not exactly subtle, right? And then Denzel points out they’re born black – pretty clear racial undertone there.
I’m not sure if Tarantino added that bit, but it always felt a little out of place. Hackman’s character was already a jerk; they didn’t need to make him a racist too.
RE: Fact #23 (Casey Kasem Exits Transformers Project) – I never knew Casey Kasem did voice acting besides being a DJ!
RE: Fact #3 (Marlon Brando’s Unique Acting Technique) – That guy was the laziest actor ever! He actually pitched to the Superman producers that Jor-El should be a suitcase – just a voice acting gig.
He basically wanted Jor-El to be a mindless puppet so he could just do a voiceover. This was after getting a crazy amount of cash for a small part. For the last two decades of his career, he used an earpiece and had someone feed him his lines instead of using cue cards. While filming *The Island of Dr. Moreau*, the earpiece started picking up airport chatter, and Brando just started repeating it like it was his script.
That was just one of *many* crazy things that went down making Dr. Moreau.
That reminds me of that hilarious scene in Police Academy with the giant microphone! I loved that goofy movie.
RE: Fact #4 (David Cross’s Notable Feuds) – He was a Marine in Halo 2, too.
RE: Fact #3 (Marlon Brando’s Unique Acting Technique) – He started feeding a stray cat, and it kept returning. That’s how Don Vito got a cat.
RE: Fact #21 (Jeff Bridges’ Iron Man Improvisation) – I talked to Mark Fergus, one of the guys who wrote *Iron Man*, and he told me the same thing. Him and his partner, Hawk Ostbey, joined the project practically as it was starting to film – they were still writing lines right until they yelled “action”! He said it was like trying to jump onto a moving train.
They got offered a gig on *Iron Man 2*, but Marvel’s offer was so cheap, their agent told them to pass. Taking that little cash would have really hurt their careers.
Then people complain when writers strike.
It probably had more to do with Perlmutter getting the boot lately than the Disney buyout. That guy was famously cheap.
RE: Fact #27 (Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Estate Decision) – He paid his taxes straight up, no funny business. He wanted his kids to earn their keep, but they still got a huge chunk of change—at least twelve million. It’s good for the economy when rich folks pay their fair share. His kids will be alright.
RE: Fact #18 (Morgan Freeman’s Prom Integration Offer) – I looked into this earlier, and there’s a really good Freeman documentary about it.
If I recall, the “black” prom was open to everyone, but the “white” prom was the one with restrictions.
It wasn’t like official segregation, though. The school only paid for one prom. White parents just organized a second one themselves, outside of school.
So the school wasn’t actually doing anything wrong. They had one prom for everyone, but some terrible parents did their own thing to keep their kids away from Black kids, probably using some ridiculous excuse.
RE: Fact #37 (Brando and Oz’s On-Set Tension) – Brando kept calling Oz “Miss Piggy”—so rude, but seriously funny! I heard that somewhere.
It’s a bit rude, I guess, but hey, he was Miss Piggy’s voice, so it’s not as bad as insulting some stranger.
RE: Fact #23 (Casey Kasem Exits Transformers Project) – There’s a Roku channel showing old Transformers episodes, I saw one a while back and was shocked by something they said. The 80s were crazy.
Imagine finding out years later that Hannibal from The A-Team was in blackface in one episode.
People always claim they talked to the Asian laundry guy to get the A-Team together, right? And that’s Hannibal, but in yellowface.
That MacGyver episode with the blackface? Yeah, it’s obvious Richard Dean Anderson wasn’t thrilled about it—look at those long shots and blurry footage!
Think back to the Man Show, like, twenty years ago. Jimmy Kimmel did blackface for a Carl Malone impression. It was a real person impersonation, not some stereotypical act, but…it was still blackface.
RE: Fact #38 (Flight Attendant’s Fiennes Encounter) – This Aussie woman’s life was way more chaotic than you’d think. Undercover cop, prostitute, flight attendant… she even had a fling with a big-name actor on a plane! She got fired, sold her story (multiple times, and got nothing!), posed for lads’ mags, went bankrupt, beat up a coworker…the list goes on. It’s been one crazy mess.
RE: Fact #17 (Hollywood Stars’ High School Days) – My Latin teacher in high school was Robert Downey Jr.’s cousin, and they were really close. He had the best stories! Like this one time he was with RDJ, and Sean Penn called them up and invited them over. My teacher had never met Sean before, so he was a little nervous. They get to Sean’s place, and before RDJ even puts the car in park, some guy runs out, drops his pants, mooned them, and yelled “Robeeerrrttt!” So, yeah, my teacher’s first encounter with Sean Penn involved a hairy, bare bottom.
RE: Fact #39 (Del Toro’s Intense Method Acting) – That movie really freaked me out. I think it might have been the two awesome actors, but Depp looked genuinely terrified of him in some scenes.
RE: Fact #14 (Tom Hanks’ Typewriter Obsession) – It’s not the weirdest hobby, but it’s pretty interesting.
I don’t collect them anymore, but from my garage sale days, I’ve still got an old IBM typewriter font ball kicking around.
That was a pretty neat typewriter feature.
RE: Fact #42 (Christian Bale’s Dental Transformation) – So Christian Bale got his teeth done, and the studio footed the bill.
RE: Fact #45 (Tom Cruise’s Interest in “Tropic Thunder”) – Cruise wanted two things for the movie: dancing and big hands.
RE: Fact #35 (Bardem’s Realistic Psychopath Role) – I really love Bardem’s portrayal of a psychopath—one of my all-time favorites. Daniel Day-Lewis in *There Will Be Blood* is another great example, and more recently, Jake Gyllenhaal in *Nightcrawler*, though Gyllenhaal’s character is more just…off. Something’s seriously unsettling about him.
RE: Fact #17 (Hollywood Stars’ High School Days) – Aren’t those guys kids of famous actors? If that’s true, it makes sense they’d go to the same school—probably lived nearby, too.
I’m not sure about the others, but Charlie Sheen’s dad is the actor Martin Sheen.
Doesn’t it seem weird that Robert Downey Jr.’s dad is also named Robert Downey?
RE: Fact #36 (Waltz’s Award-Winning Performances) – He’s why I loved Django so much. And he’s just easy to listen to – a total chill dude. He’s my white Morgan Freeman, basically.
RE: Fact #24 (Ben Kingsley’s Name Change Success) – Patrick Stewart went bald pretty young, in his early twenties. Early in his career, he’d show up to auditions with a toupee, then take it off mid-audition without saying anything. Sometimes they’d ask him about it, and he’d just say something like, “I figured you might want to hire me either way,” or “Basically, you get two actors for the price of one!”
Check out him as Sejanus in that 1976 BBC version of “I, Claudius”—the acting was amazing, even if the production wasn’t top-notch.
That guy was so scary in I, Claudius, it made Star Trek hard to watch.
Apparently, he tried out for Star Trek with it, but Roddenberry told him to drop it – said nobody in the 24th century would care about that kind of stuff, that humanity would be past all that superficial nonsense.
So they did a show with an older-looking Jean-Luc Picard, even though they could’ve just used him as he is, but acting older.
Roddenberry was hesitant about Stewart at first—baldness was the issue. But the rest of the crew loved him, so Roddenberry came around. They even came up with a story reason: baldness wouldn’t matter in the 24th century.
RE: Fact #6 (Robert De Niro’s Nobu Restaurant Venture) – Back in ’87, De Niro tasted Nobu Matsuhisa’s cooking and really wanted Nobu to open a fancy restaurant chain with him. It was based on Nobu’s special Japanese-Peruvian food. Nobu said no at first, preferring to stick to one place, but finally agreed in ’94.
Nobu’s amazing! Their charbroiled chicken sushi is incredible.
I almost got Nobu takeout in Vegas last time, but I went cheap instead. A $180 bento box had better be amazing!
I live in LA, and I’ve been to Nobu Malibu. It’s good, sure, but tons of other sushi places in LA are better and way cheaper. They’re still pricey, but not Nobu pricey. You’re basically paying for the name and, in Malibu, the view.
Helpful tip: If you really want to go but reservations are impossible, try going on Super Bowl Sunday. We got a table right away.
RE: Fact #43 (Gary Oldman Exits “Star Wars” Role) – Gary Oldman transforms himself so much in each film, I bet losing him was mega-expensive. They had to CGI Grievous, when they could’ve just let Gary Oldman work his magic and look like a four-armed robot.
RE: Fact #29 (Russell Crowe Declines Lucrative LOTR Role) – Vigo Mortison finally got his big chance.
So, Viggo was a total last-minute replacement. I can’t remember the original Aragorn actor, but he was way younger. They threw Viggo into sword, horse, and boat training with everyone else. It was crazy – Jackson dropped the other guy the day before filming! They panicked, got Viggo on board, and he flew out. His son talked him into it; he hadn’t even read *Lord of the Rings*! He landed, maybe got a day of makeup and costumes, and bam – straight into the Weathertop fight scene. They taught him sword fighting on the fly, maybe squeezed in some boat safety stuff. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Bob Anderson apparently said Viggo was the best swordsman he’d ever taught, which is pretty amazing considering Viggo was learning as they filmed.
Back in the 90s, Peter Jackson wasn’t the huge deal he is today. Getting the studios on board with his ideas for the Lord of the Rings was a real struggle. They probably wanted just one movie, not a whole trilogy. And I bet the money he got later came with a ton of conditions.
That’s crazy! So, who was the original guy, and what was the deal with shutting him down?
RE: Fact #11 (Augustus Gloop’s Real-Life Transformation) – The movie bombed at the box office—only making $4 million worldwide on a $3 million budget. But it got tons of TV airings and home video releases, and became a cult classic that eventually went mainstream. He probably went back to school and nobody there had even seen it.
Some movies became super famous from being on TV, especially holiday movies. A Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life bombed at the box office, for example.
That movie’s pretty weird for when it came out. Parts of it get way more surreal and creepy than you’d think for a kids’ musical.
RE: Fact #38 (Flight Attendant’s Fiennes Encounter) – Was that a bad move? I’m clueless, honestly. Nobody ever mentioned that wasn’t allowed, and I’ve worked for tons of airlines where people do it constantly.
Seriously, how can they blame her? It’s Ralph Fiennes!
RE: Fact #11 (Augustus Gloop’s Real-Life Transformation) – Wow, imagine spending your whole life only to find out millions of people remember you as that chubby kid who took a dive into a chocolate fountain.
Turns out, a bunch of the actors from the first Resident Evil game’s cutscenes had no clue how huge the fanbase was until fans tracked them down years later! Now, they’re all over conventions and live streams.
RE: Fact #25 (William Shatner’s Charitable Kidney Stone Sale) – I learned that someone actually thought a Wikipedia page for famous people with kidney stones was a good idea.
RE: Fact #11 (Augustus Gloop’s Real-Life Transformation) – That movie somehow made the kids want regular jobs.
The same thing happened to the child actors in the remake.
Remember Paris Themmen, the kid who played Mike Teevee? He was on Jeopardy a while back, and nobody even mentioned it!
RE: Fact #21 (Jeff Bridges’ Iron Man Improvisation) – Jeff Bridges built this script in a trailer! From scraps!
That’s rich, Tony! You tried to wipe out movie scripts, but you created the best one ever! Now I’m gonna use it to get you.
Hey, I noticed you tweaked your lines. I did some upgrades too.
RE: Fact #33 (Pesci’s Golf-Driven Call Time Change) – This guy woke up, showered, ate, got dressed, played nine holes of golf, probably showered again, changed clothes, and went to work before 9 am? Every single day?
RE: Fact #31 (Walken’s Unique Speech Cadence) – That SNL skit made me think about a Pennsylvania town where everyone sounds like Walken.
That Simpsons episode where they’re in Bronson, Missouri and everyone sounds like Charles Bronson – totally reminds me of that.
I’ve always thought it would be awesome if he did a country album called Walken in Memphis.
RE: Fact #5 (Robert Reed’s Brady Bunch Struggles) – So, there’s this roller coaster scene, right? The camera’s on the front of the car. Reed wouldn’t do it unless they did a test run—empty cart. Everyone complained, ’cause of the time and money, naturally. But he insisted, so they did it, and yep, the camera flew off and would’ve landed right where the kids were sitting.
I always figured he was a bit of a jerk, but reading this turns out everyone else was the real jerks, and he was just the guy pointing out their bad behavior.
RE: Fact #33 (Pesci’s Golf-Driven Call Time Change) – Were those calls so early because of the kids in the cast?
The rules were a bit looser back then. The Home Alone Wikipedia page says Macaulay Culkin had a 10 PM curfew because of his age, and since they filmed some of it in February – when it gets dark early – that probably explains the early call times.
Whoa, that’s strange! I thought they’d updated the rules after that Twilight Zone accident.
RE: Fact #1 (Henry Cavill’s Almost Iconic Roles) – Henry Cavill in all of Rob Pattinson’s roles? That’s hilarious.
Henry Cavill would be a great Batman.
RE: Fact #44 (Fight Club Booed at Venice Festival) – Even Chuck Palahniuk, the guy who wrote *Fight Club*, said the movie was better than his book.
He raved about that line in Fight Club, you know, the one where Ed Norton says, “First-timer? His butt was like cookie dough. A few weeks later, he’s all chiseled.” Said it was pure poetry – wished he’d written it himself.
Yeah, I agree. This one and Shawshank are way better as movies than as books, I think.
The Forrest Gump book too.
The movie version of the book was way better than I expected – it really tightened up the plot and made some brilliant connections I’d never even considered. Like, that line about fathers starting businesses with other families? I totally missed how that linked to Fight Club being franchised! I felt pretty dumb for not seeing it myself.
RE: Fact #7 (Judd Nelson’s Method Acting Incident) – The Breakfast Club shows five kids becoming friends despite being totally different, and that’s exactly what happened while filming. Molly Ringwald thought Judd Nelson totally got Bender, better than anyone else, and really wanted him to stay. The cast, Ally Sheedy leading the charge, all pitched in to keep Nelson on track. They even talked to John Hughes and asked him to change his mind. Luckily, they convinced him to keep Judd Nelson! It’s cool how the real-life stuff mirrors the movie—five people who seem totally different discover they have a lot in common. They all deal with pressure from parents or friends, and talking it out helps them understand each other better.
The great thing about The Breakfast Club is that they start as strangers and end up with more empathy for each other. The fact that the cast stuck together to save one of their own makes the movie’s message even stronger. Bender was the movie’s bad boy—he pushed everyone’s buttons, but that helped the others open up. It was the same off-screen—Nelson stayed in character, annoying everyone. Hughes didn’t like it, but it made the cast become closer and stick together. Nelson was a handful, but his energy made Bender a vital part of the movie.
Wow, I had no idea! But this is awesome. The movie just wouldn’t have been the same without Judd.
RE: Fact #15 (Washington vs. Tarantino Feud) – Tarantino and Stephen King sometimes use that racial slur in their work.
RE: Fact #7 (Judd Nelson’s Method Acting Incident) – John Hughes blew a gasket at Nelson for picking on Ringwald on set—Nelson was just staying in character, you see. Hughes was really protective of Ringwald, having already made two movies with her. Funny thing is, the actor who played Principal Vernon talked Hughes out of firing him.
Actors playing jerks often go full method.
I’d love to hear about a method actor who stayed super nice the whole time they were shooting a movie.
RE: Fact #45 (Tom Cruise’s Interest in “Tropic Thunder”) – I’m not a big Cruise fan, but wow, he was amazing as Lex Grossman. It’s not that he’s weird in real life – it’s just that I usually see Tom Cruise, not the character he’s playing. He’s a great actor, really, but some of his roles are hard for me to watch because of that.
I always figured Tom Cruise could’ve been a really fun, versatile actor, like Lev Grossman, if Scientology hadn’t, you know, sucked all the fun out of him. Scientologists just seem so stiff and humorless. They can *do* comedy, sure, but it’s never genuine, never goofy—always so controlled. Grossman just lets loose in a way Cruise never could.
RE: Fact #30 (Tommy Lee Jones vs. Jim Carrey Tension) – I can’t stand for that silliness. The studios paid him a fortune to be goofy in their movies, and everyone loved it. I like Mr. Jones’ stuff, but honestly, he doesn’t get to call the shots here.
RE: Fact #36 (Waltz’s Award-Winning Performances) – That guy’s a fantastic actor, and nobody knew him before *Inglourious Basterds*. It would have been amazing to see him in Tarantino’s earlier films – picture him in *Pulp Fiction*!
RE: Fact #43 (Gary Oldman Exits “Star Wars” Role) – So, non-union actors can be paid anything, right? But union actors have a minimum wage. Makes hiring union actors potentially pricier, doesn’t it?
Non-union actors are like the working poor of acting. They’ll take jobs nobody else wants, for peanuts.
They’re new actors trying to build their credits to join the union.
RE: Fact #24 (Ben Kingsley’s Name Change Success) – Tons of research shows this bias thing is real. Same resume, different names – the white-sounding one gets the call, the other doesn’t. It’s a bummer, but it’s super common. We make our applications anonymous at my workplace before we pick who to interview, to keep our own biases in check.
RE: Fact #8 (Michael Keaton’s Name Change Story) – Maurice Micklewhite wanted to be Michael White, but his agent called him from a phone booth to say another actor already used that name in London. He saw a movie poster for *The Caine Mutiny*, and that’s how he became Michael Caine. He’s even said in interviews that if he’d looked the other way, he might’ve been Michael 101 Dalmatians!
He finally got his passport changed legally. Airport security kept thinking he was someone else because his passport said “Maurice Micklewhite,” not what they expected.
That made me think of Nate Bargatze’s airport security joke about his name.
My Cocaine has a tough time getting across the border, or so I heard.
RE: Fact #19 (Hoffman’s 1960s NYC Roommates) – So, did they ever make it big in Hollywood?
RE: Fact #12 (Jake Gyllenhaal’s Noble Heritage) – Just wait ’til you hear about Maggie!
RE: Fact #41 (Jeff Bridges’ Long Quest for “The Giver”) – I’m surprised this movie got so much hate. It’s basically a shot-for-shot adaptation of the book, and the acting wasn’t bad at all.
RE: Fact #8 (Michael Keaton’s Name Change Story) – Martin Sheen, originally Ramon Estevez, went by a different name. His son Emilio stuck with Estevez, but Carlos became Charlie Sheen.
RE: Fact #13 (Robert Newton’s Pirate Accent Legacy) – It’s pretty much the best modern take on a pirate accent you’ll find, since a lot of famous pirates were from the West Country. Most were from Bristol and Devon, but Cornwall had its share too, and I’m pretty sure some came from Somerset – picture a grimy pirate yelling at you to give up, sounding just like Adge Cutler!
RE: Fact #39 (Del Toro’s Intense Method Acting) – Method actors are strange.
RE: Fact #13 (Robert Newton’s Pirate Accent Legacy) – Wow, that’s a new one on me! Great find!
In the UK, people often think of farmers as having a West Country accent – it’s like a pirate accent, actually! Pretty funny.
People sometimes call it “mummerset” when they’re really laying it on thick for laughs.
RE: Fact #31 (Walken’s Unique Speech Cadence) – He’s from Queens, New York – super diverse place, tons of immigrants from all over. I live nearby, and it’s cool walking around and seeing Arabic signs, then Spanish signs, then a church with Croatian and Tagalog services a few blocks away.
It’s got the most amazing mix of languages and food anywhere.
Astoria, not just Queens, has always been a melting pot—Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, Greeks, Cypriots, Arabs, and people from the Balkans have all called it home.
RE: Fact #21 (Jeff Bridges’ Iron Man Improvisation) – That’s pretty insane