Buzz
Twenty years ago, Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys offered a chilling glimpse into the early 21st century—a time when bears were expected to wander through snowy urban streets, and the remaining one percent of humanity, survivors of a devastating virus, were driven underground. Even after two decades, the film’s surreal dystopia continues to unsettle, while still keeping much of its enigmatic allure. To mark the film’s anniversary, we’ve put together a list of 12 Monkeys facts that even the most meticulous time travelers might not have encountered.
1. IT’S INSPIRED BY THE FRENCH SHORT FILM LA JETÉE.
Chris Marker’s 1962 short film La Jetée served as the inspiration for the ‘unusually literate script’ by David and Janet Peoples that evolved into 12 Monkeys, as noted by Turner Classic Movies. The 26-minute film follows a similar narrative (with a time-traveling, captive protagonist attempting to prevent a world destroyed by nuclear radiation, rather than a viral outbreak), and both films reference Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, which had a significant influence on Marker’s short.
2. TERRY GILLIAM HAD NEVER WATCHED LA JETÉE.
While his screenwriting team drew heavy influence from La Jetée, Gilliam confessed that he had never seen the French short before directing its loose adaptation. “Whenever I create something inspired by another work, I make it a point not to see or read the original,” Gilliam explained. “Otherwise, I’d feel overwhelmed by it, or a huge sense of duty. So, I avoid that. When I made Brazil, I had never read [George Orwell's] 1984.”
3. THE SET DESIGN INCLUDES REFERENCES TO DECONSTRUCTIVIST ARCHITECTURE.
Fair use via Lebbeus Woods (cropped)
“During our first meeting,” recalled production designer Jeffrey Beecroft, “we were discussing how to capture the melancholy of photographer [Josef] Sudek and the radical architecture of Lebbeus Woods,” the pioneering and avant-garde architect. A scene where the protagonist, James Cole (Bruce Willis), is simultaneously interviewed and interrogated by a spherical robot while strapped to a chair mounted on the wall, mirrors Woods' Neomechanical Tower (Upper) Chamber. “Nobody has ever built anything from [Woods’] designs because they’re structurally impossible. But I built it! And while it doesn’t make sense, it still works,” Beecroft said.
4. THE FILMMAKERS FACED A LAWSUIT OVER ONE OF THE INSPIRATIONS.
Instead of appreciating the tribute, Woods took issue with the unauthorized use of his design in the film’s set and decided to sue Gilliam, Beecroft, and the film’s producers and distributors. The case was settled years after the film’s release, with Woods receiving a six-figure payout.
5. BRUCE WILLIS FEARED HIS TOUGH GUY IMAGE WOULD LIMIT HIS ROLE.
In 1995, Gilliam shared with the Associated Press that he had first considered Willis for the lead role in 1991’s The Fisher King, and that 12 Monkeys provided both the director and actor a chance to break out of their usual roles. At the time, Gilliam said, “Bruce was worried that the image he had from previous roles would hinder the film and was eager to escape the trap of his own success.”
6. WILLIS AGREED TO A PAY CUT FOR THE ROLE, AND EVEN OFFERED TO SHAVE HIS HEAD.
As Den of Geek reported, Willis and co-star Madeleine Stowe both agreed to take a significant pay cut for their roles in 12 Monkeys in order to collaborate with Gilliam. During the demanding shoot, it was Willis who came up with his character’s iconic look. “It was his idea to shave his head, and it made a huge difference,” Gilliam explained. “It made him appear much stronger, much more dangerous. He looked like a prisoner from a Soviet Gulag ... Bruce has one of the greatest skulls in the world! It’s a stunning, beautiful thing to photograph.”
7. WILLIS RECEIVED A LIST OF ACTING CLICHÉS TO AVOID.
According to BBC, Gilliam handed Willis a custom list of acting clichés that he was forbidden to bring to the set of 12 Monkeys.
8. BRAD PITT UNDERWENT PSYCHIATRIC COACHING FOR THE ROLE.
Dr. Laszlo Gyulai, who heads the bipolar disorders unit at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, worked with the rising actor to perfect the mannerisms of his institutionalized character by studying real mental illnesses. Gyulai shared with The New York Times that films about psychiatric patients often portray them as deranged, “when many patients who are mentally ill are not crazy at all, especially those with depression or mood disorders.” It’s said that Gilliam added an extra layer of tension to Pitt’s performance by confiscating his cigarettes on set as well.
9. PITT'S DEDICATION WON HIM A GOLDEN GLOBE AND HIS FIRST OSCAR NOMINATION.
12 Monkeys made a major impact at the box office just as Pitt’s career was reaching new heights, and his Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actor were some of his first major awards. As the Manila Standard reported, Pitt was “shocked” by his 1996 recognition, delivering a brief acceptance speech during the “moment of absolute terror” and humorously stating: “I'd like to thank the members of—actually, the makers of Kaopectate. They've done a great service for their fellow man.”
10. THE FILM’S UNEASY MAIN THEME IS ROOTED IN ARGENTINE TANGO.
In a 1996 interview, Gilliam explained to film critic and Monty Python expert David Morgan that the work of Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla and other tango legends formed the foundation for 12 Monkeys’ distinctive, eerie main theme:
“I picked up a few other CDs, including Piazzolla’s, whom I hadn’t heard of before. A couple of his pieces just resonated with me, and I knew they were perfect for the film, so I decided to use them … And then, I don’t know, it just struck me—it’s the 12 Monkeys theme! It’s Jeffrey’s theme, or the monkeys' theme.”
11. GILLIAM'S FAMOUS “HAMSTER FACTOR” SLOWED DOWN THE PRODUCTION.
The term was coined during the production of 12 Monkeys to describe “those moments when Gilliam would fixate on minor details, often at the expense of the bigger picture,” as Variety reported. The legend goes that it stemmed from the director insisting on waiting for an entire day just to get a hamster, which appeared briefly in a scene with Bruce Willis, to run in its wheel.
12. GILLIAM SAW MAKING THIS TRIPPY FILM AS “EASY.”
“It was easy,” Gilliam told Den of Geek when reflecting on the film's production. “Because [producer Chuck Roven] came to me with a script... and the studio had already spent $1 million on the script alone. They wanted to see a return on their investment.” With the film's complex script already in place, Gilliam said his primary job was “just to assemble the right cast to bring it to life.”
Once Willis was on board, Gilliam explained, “we were off to the races, and Brad [Pitt] was the icing on the cake. Then we made the movie.” Despite less-than-enthusiastic responses from test audiences, the film ended up grossing over $168 million worldwide—more than five times its $29.5 million budget.
Gilliam reflected, “It was just a series of coincidences that led to its success, but it showed that there was an audience for smart films. However, right after it became a hit, I had a meeting with the studio, and their simplistic explanation for its success boiled down to two words: Brad Pitt.”
