Buzz
Movies often serve as an escape from reality, but the behind-the-scenes world of filmmaking can be just as bizarre, intense, or unsettling as the stories they portray.
10. An ‘Alcoholic’ Who Can’t Handle Alcohol?
In Bruce Robinson’s iconic British film Withnail & I, Richard E. Grant portrays Withnail, a pretentious, out-of-work actor struggling with alcoholism. Alongside his equally erratic friend Marwood, he flees the chaos of city life for the countryside, leaving behind a trail of drug dealers, aggressive Irishmen, and squalor—all while drowning in alcohol.
Before filming Withnail & I, Richard E. Grant had never consumed alcohol due to a physical intolerance caused by an enzyme deficiency. To convincingly portray an alcoholic, the solution was to get him so intoxicated that he passed out during filming.
Bruce Robinson believed that for Grant to convincingly play the timid, alcoholic Withnail, he needed to experience severe intoxication at least once. During one evening, Grant consumed a full bottle of champagne and half a bottle of vodka, leaving him unconscious and extremely ill the following day.
9. Michael Cera and the Altered States of Consciousness
When Michael Cera isn’t embodying the awkward teen sharing indie band mixtapes with his crush, he’s seen enduring a claustrophobic tent ritual with Chilean locals or experiencing a mescaline-induced trip alongside his co-stars.
In Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus, Michael Cera portrays Jamie, the leader of a group of friends exploring Chile’s deserts in pursuit of the legendary hallucinogen mescaline. After locating the cactus, they consume its sap and embark on a psychedelic journey for the audience’s entertainment.
As confirmed by Cera and director Sebastian Silva, the mescaline used in the film was completely real. To ensure authenticity, the actors didn’t simulate the experience—they actually participated in a genuine mescaline trip, which was captured on camera.
8. The Depths of The Abyss Are More Harrowing Than Imagined
James Cameron is a director who never backs down from a daunting challenge, whether due to fear, laziness, or any other reason. This is evident in The Abyss, a film so grueling for its cast and crew that they nicknamed it The Abuse.
Filming sessions lasted 15 to 18 hours daily, with actors often submerged underwater for up to five hours at a time. Cameron even had an underwater station built to provide oxygen and streamline production. However, the tank’s imbalanced pH levels caused him to suffer hair loss and skin burns.
During breaks, the cast would exit the tank trembling and disoriented, struggling to readjust to dry land. To warm up, they would immediately step into plastic hot tubs, but this only resulted in ear and sinus infections.
Despite the hardships, The Abyss became a box office hit. However, whether James Cameron considers its success worth nearly risking lives remains a separate debate.
7. John Waters Pushes Boundaries to Shock Audiences
John Waters, a filmmaker renowned for his love of the outrageous, has always embraced controversy and absurdity. This was evident during the production of his surreal comedy Pink Flamingos.
In this chaotic masterpiece, Divine, his frequent collaborator and celebrated “Drag Queen of the Century,” performed a shocking scene where her character consumes dog feces. True to John Waters’ style and Divine’s willingness to push boundaries, the feces used in the scene were real, freshly sourced, and likely still warm.
Decades later, Divine remains an icon in drag culture, and Pink Flamingos has achieved cult status. The infamous feces scene often leaves viewers nauseated, a reaction Waters considers equivalent to a standing ovation.
6. Poltergeist Actually Disturbed the Dead (For Budget Reasons)
The Poltergeist storyline revolves around the dire consequences of disturbing the dead. Ironically, during filming, the production team disregarded this theme and opted to disrupt the peace of the deceased themselves.
In the infamous swimming pool scene, Jobeth Williams is thrust into a muddy pit filled with skeletal remains. To save costs, the Poltergeist crew chose to use real human skeletons instead of investing in realistic props.
Jobeth Williams was unaware she was sharing the water with actual human remains until after the scene was filmed. When Steven Spielberg later informed her, she remained unfazed, simply relieved she hadn’t been electrocuted during the shoot.
5. Daniel Day-Lewis Puts His Life on the Line for Realism
Daniel Day-Lewis is renowned for his dedication to method acting. While playing Christy Brown in My Left Foot, he injured his ribs and required spoon-feeding from the crew. For his role as Gerry Conlon in In The Name of the Father, he endured harsh police interrogations and lost 14 kilograms (30 lb) by surviving on prison food. However, his commitment reached new extremes during the filming of Gangs of New York.
While Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the rest of the crew bundled up in heavy coats between takes, Daniel Day-Lewis declined. He argued that the coats provided weren’t accurate to the 1800s, the era in which the film was set. After enduring freezing temperatures in a thin, period-appropriate coat, Day-Lewis developed pneumonia and nearly faced a life-threatening situation.
Following a gradual recovery, Day-Lewis resumed filming, engaging in on-set brawls in the picturesque city of Rome. His portrayal of Bill “The Butcher” Cutting earned him yet another Oscar nomination.
4. Apocalypse Now Was a Production Nightmare
Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film Apocalypse Now is legendary for its chaotic and harrowing production.
The troubles began when Coppola chose to film in the Philippine jungles instead of a controlled studio environment. This decision led to numerous issues: wild tigers roamed the set, dictator Ferdinand Marcos confiscated helicopters, and extreme weather destroyed expensive sets. Additionally, Coppola filmed the real slaughter of a water buffalo with a machete, sparking outrage from animal rights groups like the AHA and RSPCA.
Adding to the chaos, Marlon Brando arrived on set unprepared and significantly overweight, refusing to meet the director’s expectations. Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack at 36, Francis Ford Coppola experienced a mental breakdown during production, and post-filming, extensive editing issues delayed the movie’s release.
Apocalypse Now truly embodied the heart of darkness.
3. The Unpredictable World of Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog is celebrated as one of the most iconic filmmakers of our era. Whether directing films, documentaries, or even projects involving eating his own shoe, Herzog’s work is always a topic of fascination.
During the filming of Even Dwarfs Started Small, a dwarf actor was injured by a driverless car and later accidentally set himself on fire. Herzog, in an attempt to encourage caution, promised to jump into a cactus if the cast took better care. They complied, and he followed through on his promise.
In 1976, a massive volcano on an island near Guadeloupe was on the brink of eruption, prompting a full evacuation. Werner Herzog, undeterred, ventured to the site to film the documentary La Soufriere, seemingly daring fate. There, he discovered an elderly man who refused to evacuate, calmly sitting on the volcano’s slope. Herzog captured a 30-minute feature exploring the man’s perspective on death, leaving the island unharmed.
Herzog’s off-screen exploits are as remarkable as his films. In January 2014, he rescued Joaquin Phoenix from an overturned car on a Los Angeles street. During a UK interview with Mark Kermode, Herzog was shot with an air rifle but continued the interview despite bleeding, dismissing the incident as “no need to worry” since it wasn’t a real bullet.
2. Sam Peckinpah’s Controversial Treatment of Animals
Sam Peckinpah is renowned for directing The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs, two films celebrated for vastly different reasons. However, his work on Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid earned him criticism for his apparent disregard for animal welfare.
In an early scene of Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, several live chickens are buried up to their necks in the ground. The camera lingers, leaving viewers to question if the birds are real, before they are shot in slow-motion.
The chickens used in the scene were real. Buried alive in the dirt, they were immobilized, terrified, and struggling to breathe. Sam Peckinpah walked along the line of doomed chickens and poured lighter fluid on their heads, burning their eyes and sending them into a frenzy. Once they appeared lively again, the rifles were fired, and the cameras captured the gruesome moment. Both the scene and the chickens were destroyed.
1. Alfred Hitchcock’s Dark Side
Alfred Hitchcock, known as “The Master of Suspense,” was one of the most unsettling and ruthless directors in film history. His 1963 movie The Birds showcased his mastery of horror, but the production was marred by real-life cruelty.
Alfred Hitchcock became obsessed with Tippi Hedren after casting her in a leading role from a TV commercial. When Hedren rejected his advances, his fixation turned sinister. He threatened to destroy her acting career and dominate every part of her life, leveraging his influence in Hollywood.
During the filming of The Birds, Hedren was assured that mechanical birds would be used for the climactic scene, with a short shooting duration. However, upon arriving on set, she was confronted with cages of live ravens, gulls, starlings, and pigeons. Some birds were tied to her, while others were thrown at her, pecking her relentlessly until she bled.
Overwhelmed and distraught, she was rushed from the set to seek medical attention. Despite this, she was forced to repeat the harrowing scene repeatedly—spanning five consecutive days.
