Buzz
Steven Spielberg's school years were far from enjoyable. Constantly chosen last for sports and tormented by bullies, his experience was deeply challenging. His dyslexia further hindered his ability to focus. To escape, he immersed himself in amateur filmmaking, using his father’s camera to create a series of imaginative adventure films. His mother supported his passion for directing, even fabricating excuses to help him skip classes.
Spielberg’s career took off after his short film, Amblin, caught the attention of Universal Studios. Impressed by his talent, they offered him a seven-year contract, marking the beginning of his legendary career. Today, Spielberg’s films have collectively earned over $10 billion at the box office, a record unmatched by any other director. Here, we explore 10 fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from his remarkable filmography.
10. The Crew Faced Unprecedented Challenges While Filming Raiders
The thrilling Cairo chase scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark was shot in Tunisia, where the cast and crew encountered a severe outbreak of food poisoning. This unexpected illness significantly impacted the filming process. In a deleted scene, a Nazi soldier was supposed to shoot Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), a key ally of Indiana Jones. However, Rhys-Davies’ sudden and uncontrollable diarrhea disrupted the shoot. “It was embarrassing,” Rhys-Davies later recalled. “Steven asked me to crouch lower for a better shot, and as I did, I accidentally soiled my djellaba in front of the entire crew. I just laughed it off.”
In another pivotal scene, Indiana Jones was originally set to face off against a highly skilled Arab swordsman. After multiple unsuccessful takes, exacerbated by Harrison Ford’s frequent bathroom breaks due to illness, Ford proposed a solution to Spielberg: “Why don’t we just shoot him?” This suggestion led to the abrupt cancellation of the elaborate sword fight sequence, which stuntman Terry Richards had spent months perfecting. Spielberg, however, managed to avoid the widespread illness that plagued the crew. Before filming, he stocked up on canned food from an English supermarket, surviving largely on Spaghetti-O’s throughout his stay in Tunisia.
9. E.T. Nearly Had a Follow-Up Film
E.T. became a monumental success upon its release, earning a staggering $800 million during its initial box office run. Given its success, studio executives were eager to greenlight a sequel. Melissa Mathison, the original screenwriter, collaborated with Spielberg to brainstorm ideas, eventually conceptualizing a darker narrative titled Nocturnal Fears.
Spielberg’s outline for Nocturnal Fears began with a pale, carnivorous alien named Zrek becoming stranded on Earth. Zrek sends a distress signal to his fellow extraterrestrials, prompting the arrival of a sinister search party armed with daggers. These malevolent aliens descend from their mothership, setting the stage for a chilling adventure.
Elliott, the young protagonist from the first film, intercepts a mysterious signal using a communication device, believing it to be from E.T. He persuades his friends to investigate, leading them to the forest. However, they are soon captured by the hostile aliens, who interrogate them to locate Zrek. Hearing Elliott’s cries for help, E.T. embarks on a daring mission to save his human friends. Despite the intriguing premise, the sequel was ultimately abandoned, as Spielberg felt the story had reached its natural conclusion. Years later, the concept resurfaced in a Christmas advertisement, with Spielberg offering creative input to the director of this mini-sequel.
8. Spielberg Declined Payment for Schindler’s List
Schindler’s List chronicles the life of Oskar Schindler, a Nazi Party member and factory owner who used his wealth to save Jewish refugees from the horrors of the Holocaust. By employing Polish Jews in his factory, Schindler prevented their deportation to concentration camps. He bribed SS officers and even relocated his factory to ensure their safety. Spielberg, convinced the public wasn’t ready for such a harrowing story, believed the film would fail. He was proven wrong.
The movie earned an astounding $320 million globally. Spielberg refused to take a salary, calling it akin to profiting from tragedy. Instead, he donated his earnings to Jewish organizations, including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Studio executives granted Spielberg full creative control, but only if he agreed to direct Jurassic Park.
After the war, Schindler faced financial ruin and the departure of his wife. However, the survivors he saved, known as the Schindlerjuden, supported him financially. Upon his death in 1974, Schindler became the only former Nazi Party member buried on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
7. The T-Rex in Jurassic Park Was Far from Perfect
The T-Rex, Jurassic Park’s legendary predator, was brought to life by animatronics expert Stan Winston, renowned for his work on the alien queen in Aliens. The massive creature was constructed using a metal and wood frame, layered with chicken wire, fiberglass, and sculpted clay, a process that spanned several months. To support the six-ton beast, Warner Bros. had to reinforce the film set.
However, Spielberg’s decision to film the T-Rex’s debut scenes in the rain nearly derailed the project. Puppeteer John Rosengrant explained, “We discovered it would rain just before shooting. The foam-rubber skin absorbed water, throwing off the mechanics and causing the T-Rex to shudder uncontrollably.”
Between takes, the crew had to dry the 18-foot animatronic using towels and blowers. If they delayed, the T-Rex would start shaking unpredictably. Producer Kathleen Kennedy recalled, “The rain interfered with the hydraulics, making the T-Rex move on its own. We’d be eating lunch, and suddenly it would come to life, causing everyone to scream.”
6. Saving Private Ryan Demanded Intense Preparation
The opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, depicting the Omaha Beach landings in 1944, is a 24-minute masterpiece that cost $12 million to produce. Roads were constructed to transport equipment to Curracloe Beach in Ireland, and two authentic WWII landing ships were brought in. Local metalworkers crafted Czech hedgehogs, anti-landing structures used by the Nazis. The sequence involved thousands of crew members, 40 barrels of fake blood, and tons of explosives. Amputees were cast to portray dismembered soldiers, and a thousand lifelike dummies of dead troops were placed on the beach.
The cast endured rigorous preparation as well. Spielberg brought in Captain Dale Dye, a former U.S. Marine, to lead a six-day boot camp. Actors like Tom Hanks, Vin Diesel, and Tom Sizemore faced freezing conditions, ate wartime rations, and carried 40 pounds of gear on five-mile hikes. While Spielberg aimed for authenticity, most actors wanted to quit. Only Tom Hanks refused, teaming up with Captain Dye to persuade the others to stay. Dye recalled, “I stood in the rain and told them they owed it to the people they were portraying to get it right. To do that, they needed to experience a fraction of what those soldiers went through.”
5. Jaws Earned the Nickname ‘Flaws’
The production of Jaws was fraught with challenges. Crew members returned to shore exhausted, sunburned, and coated in salt. The mechanical sharks, requiring over a dozen operators, frequently malfunctioned. One even sank, necessitating a deep-sea recovery. Saltwater damaged the animatronics’ internal systems, causing pneumatic hoses to fail. Actor Carl Gottlieb nearly suffered a serious accident when he fell into the water and almost collided with a boat’s propeller. The production ran three months over schedule and nearly tripled its budget, earning the film its unofficial nickname, “Flaws.”
Trouble began early. Before filming, Spielberg showed the model shark to George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and John Milius in a hangar. Lucas got his head stuck in the shark’s mouth after Spielberg closed it remotely. Milius recalled, “Steven tried to open it, but it was broken. When Lucas finally freed himself, we all just ran away, knowing we’d damaged something costly.”
As delays mounted, rumors swirled that Spielberg’s career was over. Undeterred, he found creative ways to shoot scenes without relying on the malfunctioning animatronics, which he called “turds.” Some scenes hinted at the shark’s presence, like the iconic barrel-dragging sequence. Others used real sharks. Despite the challenges, Jaws became the highest-grossing film of its time, eventually earning half a billion dollars worldwide.
4. Close Encounters and the Roller-Skating Orangutan
Close Encounters of the Third Kind tells the story of Roy Neary, an electrician who encounters a UFO. Throughout the film, Roy grapples with his experience and is haunted by a vision of a mysterious rock formation. This vision ultimately guides him to Devils Tower, where he finally meets the extraterrestrial beings.
Spielberg aimed to depict aliens with uniquely alien movements. He explained his unconventional approach: “I wanted the aliens to feel truly otherworldly. My initial idea was to use an orangutan dressed in an E.T. suit, mimicking primate-like behavior.” The team outfitted an orangutan in a spandex suit and an alien head, attempting to make it glide down a ramp on roller skates. However, the plan failed when the orangutan refused to cooperate, tearing off its mask and sliding down the ramp backward. Spielberg eventually abandoned the idea.
Spielberg adjusted his vision, dressing children in alien costumes and using creative lighting to preserve the aliens’ mystique. A slender alien puppet introduced the childlike extraterrestrials, while an advanced animatronic was used for the final scene, requiring precise hand movements.
3. Tragedy on the Set of Twilight Zone
In 1982, directors John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller collaborated on Twilight Zone: The Movie. One segment, Time Out, follows Bill Connor, a disgruntled worker passed over for a promotion by his Jewish colleague. After venting his frustrations with anti-Semitic remarks in a bar, Bill is mysteriously transported to Nazi-occupied Europe. As German soldiers pursue him, he is thrust into various historical events, including the Vietnam War.
John Landis directed the Time Out segment. During filming in June 1982, a scene depicting the destruction of a Vietnamese village turned tragic. Vic Morrow, playing Bill, was supposed to rescue two Vietnamese children from helicopter gunfire. However, a pyrotechnic explosion struck the helicopter, causing it to crash onto the actors. Morrow and both children were killed instantly.
The accident triggered widespread media outrage and led to stricter safety regulations in Hollywood. Investigations revealed that Landis had illegally hired the child actors, aged six and seven, to bypass California labor laws. They should not have been on set at 2:20 a.m. or near explosives. Landis and several crew members faced manslaughter charges but were ultimately acquitted.
The families of the children filed lawsuits against Warner Bros. and the filmmakers, including Spielberg, seeking millions in damages. Spielberg considered abandoning the project, but the studio insisted on completing it, fearing cancellation would imply guilt. The incident strained Spielberg’s relationship with Landis. A year later, Spielberg stated, “No film is worth a life. People are now more willing to challenge directors and producers who demand too much.”
2. Hook and the Chaos of Tinker Hell
In 1991, Julia Roberts was slated to portray Tinker Bell in the family adventure film Hook. However, the rising star was dealing with personal issues, having recently called off her engagement to Kiefer Sutherland just days before their wedding. Initially, the 23-year-old withdrew from the project but later reconsidered. Reports suggest Roberts felt isolated on set, as most of her scenes were shot on a green screen with minimal interaction.
At one point, Roberts took an unannounced trip to Ireland, leaving the production team uncertain about her return. Spielberg prepared for her potential departure by bringing Michelle Pfeiffer in for costume fittings. On another occasion, Roberts overheard a crew member mention the name “Kiefer” and demanded her ex-fiancé be removed from the set. It turned out she had misheard the name “Kieffo,” which referred to Dustin Hoffman’s stunt double. Her behavior earned her the nickname “Tinker Hell.”
After completing the film, Spielberg addressed the challenges, stating, “Julia was going through one of the toughest periods of her life, and it was unfortunate timing that it coincided with the production of Hook.” Roberts took offense at his remarks, calling him a “turncoat.”
1. Munich Included a Future Prime Minister in Drag
In April 1973, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a raid on a compound in Lebanon, targeting members of the Black September terrorist group. This operation was a direct response to the 1972 Munich massacre, where Palestinian terrorists kidnapped and killed Israeli athletes during the Summer Olympics. Three of the eight attackers survived the failed German rescue attempt and were detained in Munich for trial.
Six months later, terrorists hijacked a Boeing 727 heading to Frankfurt, demanding the release of the Munich attackers. Fearing another tragedy, Germany complied, allowing the terrorists to escape to Libya. There, they were celebrated as heroes, with Muammar Gaddafi’s government granting them asylum and showcasing them on national television.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir initiated Operation Wrath of God, assembling a team of assassins to eliminate those behind the Munich massacre. Spielberg’s film depicts a scene where Israeli commandos, led by a young Ehud Barak disguised as a woman, infiltrate a building housing Palestinian terrorists. The team successfully eliminates their targets, a mission that mirrored real events. The operatives even rehearsed cross-dressing, with undercover “couples” posing as lovers to avoid suspicion.
Upon returning to Israel, Barak’s wife noticed his makeup and questioned him. “I saw he had blue eye makeup and asked, ‘Ehud, why are you wearing that?’ He hesitated but eventually revealed he had disguised himself as a woman for the mission.” Barak later became Israel’s Prime Minister in 1999.
