The Terminator franchise stands as a towering achievement in modern science fiction cinema. Naturally, fans love the massive explosions, but the creation of this dark universe hides many surprising secrets. Indeed, a terrifying fever dream originally inspired the iconic cyborg. Furthermore, the creators faced numerous budget struggles before finding massive global success.
Terminator
Director James Cameron invented the Terminator character during a severe fever in Rome. Specifically, he dreamed of a metal skeleton emerging from a fire. Subsequently, he immediately sketched the terrifying image on hotel stationery.
The studio originally wanted O.J. Simpson to play the ruthless cyborg. However, Cameron thought he looked much too nice to play a killer. Consequently, nobody believed the famous athlete could portray a cold machine.
Arnold Schwarzenegger only speaks 58 words in the entire first Terminator film. Therefore, his sheer physical presence carried the terror of the mechanical villain. This quiet approach made the character incredibly menacing.
The famous liquid metal effects required cutting-edge computer graphics. Thus, the sequel cost more money to produce than any previous movie in history. Furthermore, the digital work took months to finish.
Surprisingly, the production crew used painted plastic pipes instead of real steel. Therefore, they saved thousands of dollars on the incredibly tight studio budget. The fake metal looked perfectly authentic on screen.
Arnold famously wanted to change his iconic dialogue during filming. Specifically, he struggled to pronounce the word contraction with his Austrian accent. Yet, the director refused the change and created cinematic history.
The first Terminator movie cost only 6.4 million dollars (about 6 million euros). Nevertheless, it earned over 78 million dollars (74 million euros) globally. Consequently, this massive return launched a global entertainment franchise.
Dogs can easily detect the infiltrator cyborgs in the Terminator universe. Therefore, human resistance fighters use canines to guard their underground bunker entrances. Indeed, the animals bark wildly near any hidden machines.
The sound department recorded a heavy piece of cast iron to create the theme. Furthermore, they struck the metal repeatedly with a standard frying pan. Ultimately, this bizarre technique produced the haunting rhythm.
Linda Hamilton suffered permanent hearing damage during a loud elevator shootout scene. Unfortunately, she forgot to put her earplugs back in before the explosive take. She fired a heavy weapon and damaged her ears.
Hamilton trained with former Israeli military commandos to prepare for the sequel. Thus, she transformed her body into a convincing and hardened resistance fighter. Furthermore, she learned how to handle heavy weapons safely.
A robotic puppet weighed over 45 kilograms (100 pounds) during filming. Therefore, multiple puppeteers had to control the heavy mechanical skeleton together. They operated the massive rig behind the camera.
The famous motorcycle chase used a massive truck cab that weighed several tons. Surprisingly, the stunt driver safely jumped the heavy vehicle into a concrete canal. Consequently, the crash remains a marvel of practical stunt work.
Stan Winston created the terrifying endoskeleton using real human anatomy as a reference. Thus, the metal bones perfectly matched the physical proportions of the lead actor. Furthermore, this careful design allowed the machine to fit perfectly.
The original Terminator movie script featured a cyborg that could eat normal human food. However, the director eventually removed this strange detail to maintain a scary tone. Ultimately, a machine eating simply ruined the dark atmosphere.
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The Green Mile stands as one of the most emotional adaptations of a Stephen King novel ever made. While many fans know it for the heartbreaking performance of Michael Clarke Duncan, the production was filled with hidden tricks and happy accidents. For instance, the towering size of John Coffey was largely a camera illusion, and the mouse Mr. Jingles was played by an entire squad of rodents. Furthermore, the movie broke historical accuracy rules just to make the guards look cooler. Prepare to walk the mile with the inmates of Cold Mountain.
Green Mile
Bruce Willis is responsible for Michael Clarke Duncan getting the role. He worked with Duncan on the movie Armageddon and called the director of The Green Mile personally. Willis told him that he had found the perfect John Coffey.
Tom Hanks was originally supposed to play the old version of himself. The makeup team spent hours turning him into a 108-year-old man. However, the tests looked too fake, so they hired the actor Dabbs Greer instead.
Over fifteen different mice played the character of Mr. Jingles. Each mouse was trained to do a specific trick, such as rolling the spool or sitting still. Therefore, the scene where he pushes the spool required a very specific “actor” for the job.
The actor playing Percy Wetmore asked for his shoes to squeak. Doug Hutchison wanted the character to be as annoying as possible. Thus, he requested special squeaky shoes so the audience would hate him before he even spoke.
Michael Clarke Duncan was not actually that much taller than his co-stars. He stood six feet and five inches tall, which was only one inch taller than David Morse. Consequently, the crew used forced perspective and smaller furniture to make him look like a giant.
Historically, the guards would not have worn uniforms in 1935. At that time, prison staff in the South usually wore street clothes. However, director Frank Darabont felt the uniforms gave them more visual authority on screen.
Stephen King sat in the electric chair during his visit to the set. He asked the crew to strap him in so he could feel what it was like. Reportedly, he found the experience incredibly uncomfortable and spooky.
Sam Rockwell requested that the makeup artists give him acne. He wanted his character, Wild Bill Wharton, to look greasy and repulsive. Therefore, he spent time in the makeup chair adding fake pimples to his face.
The electric chair period is technically incorrect for Louisiana. The movie takes place in 1935, but the state did not adopt the electric chair until 1940. Before that, the method of execution was hanging.
Production designers built the prison set to be smaller than real life. They made the beds shorter and the cells narrower to emphasize John Coffey’s size. Thus, the environment itself helped sell the illusion of his massive stature.
Tom Hanks stayed in character when Stephen King visited. The author arrived while Hanks was filming a scene as Paul Edgecomb. Instead of breaking character, Hanks invited King into the “Green Mile” just as a guard would.
The crew had to silence their footsteps to avoid scaring the mice. During scenes with Mr. Jingles, everyone on set had to remain perfectly still. If anyone made a sudden noise, the mouse would run away and ruin the take.
The urine infection scenes were surprisingly difficult for Tom Hanks. He had to portray the relief of being cured by John Coffey without saying a word. He later joked that acting like he had a bladder problem was one of his greatest challenges.
Harry Dean Stanton improvised the song during the rehearsal scene. When the guards are rehearsing the execution, his character Toot-Toot starts singing. This bizarre moment was not in the script but the director loved it.
Finally, Stephen King considers this his single favorite adaptation. Although he has criticized movies like The Shining, he praised The Green Mile endlessly. He called it the most faithful film version of his work ever produced.
Matt Damon is one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood history. You likely know him as Jason Bourne or the genius janitor from Boston. However, he is also a Harvard dropout who turned down the biggest payday in cinema. He risks his health for roles and plays pranks on talk show hosts. Furthermore, he works tirelessly to bring clean water to the world. Let’s explore the life of this Boston native.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck shared a single bank account as teenagers. They used this shared money to pay for travel to auditions in New York. Thus, they supported each other financially long before they became famous.
He turned down the lead role in the massive blockbuster Avatar. The director offered him ten percent of the box office profits to take the part. Consequently, Matt Damon lost out on roughly 250 million dollars.
He attended Harvard University but left just twelve credits shy of graduating. He chose to pursue his acting career in the film Geronimo instead. However, the university eventually awarded him a prestigious arts medal later.
The script for Good Will Hunting started as a college playwriting assignment. He handed in a forty-page document to his professor during a class at Harvard. Eventually, he and Ben turned that homework into an Oscar-winning movie.
He ruined his health for his role in the movie Courage Under Fire. He ran twelve miles a day and ate only chicken breasts to lose weight. Therefore, doctors had to treat his damaged adrenal gland for years.
Steven Spielberg intentionally excluded Matt Damon from the Saving Private Ryan boot camp. The other actors trained hard and resented him for resting in comfort. This psychological trick created genuine tension between the soldiers on screen.
He has a fake, long-running feud with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Every night, Kimmel jokes that they ran out of time for Matt Damon. This hilarious gag has lasted on television for nearly two decades.
He shaved his head and sang in the movie EuroTrip by accident. He was filming another movie in Prague when the director asked him to join. He agreed instantly because he happened to be in town that week.
Matt Damon co-founded the organization Water.org to solve the global water crisis. He uses his massive fame to help millions get access to safe sanitation. This humanitarian work matters more to him than his movie roles.
He and Ben Affleck have a strange and quiet writing process. They sit in a room together but often write scenes silently for hours. Then, they trade pages to critique the other person’s dialogue.
He actually learned how to grow potatoes for his role in The Martian. Botanists taught him the real science of soil and fertilization on the set. Thus, he understands the botany behind survival on the red planet.
He played a redneck in Deadpool 2 under intense prosthetic makeup. He is credited as Dickie Greenleaf in the final movie credits. Consequently, most fans never realized the famous actor was in that scene.
Matt Damon performed many of his own driving stunts for the Bourne franchise. He went to a special driving school to learn reverse 180-degree turns. Consequently, he crashed several cars during the intense training sessions.
He successfully used hypnosis to finally quit smoking cigarettes. He smoked heavily for nearly two decades before seeing a specialist in Los Angeles. Thankfully, the mental treatment worked after just a few sessions.
Matt Damon used to breakdance for money in the middle of Harvard Square. He performed robot moves to earn extra cash during his college days. He claims he was actually quite skilled at the time.
