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Known for its lengthy runtime, launching Michael Clarke Duncan’s career, and being one of the few adaptations that Stephen King himself approved of, the 1999 film The Green Mile undeniably left a lasting impact on modern cinema. Here are some lesser-known details about this emotionally gripping, at times eerie, fantasy film.
1. TWO KEY ROLES COULD HAVE GONE TO DIFFERENT ACTORS.
While Frank Darabont had Tom Hanks in mind early on for the lead role of Warden Paul Edgecomb (a choice Stephen King was pleased with), it’s been reported that the director originally offered the part to John Travolta, who turned it down. Additionally, the role of Wild Bill Wharton, the unpredictable and violent character portrayed by Sam Rockwell, was initially considered for Josh Brolin.
2. BRUCE WILLIS PLAYED A ROLE IN CASTING A MAJOR CHARACTER.
The casting of John Coffey was a particularly challenging task due to the character’s unique combination of powerful presence and tender heart. Fortunately, Bruce Willis had the perfect candidate in mind. Upon learning about the casting search, Willis immediately thought of his friend and Armageddon co-star Michael Clarke Duncan, believing he was the ideal choice for the role. Using his star power, Willis reached out to director Darabont and recommended his friend for the film.
3. TOM HANKS WAS ALMOST CAST AS HIS “OLDER SELF.”
Paul Edgecomb’s story as a death row warden in 1935 is framed by two scenes set in 1999, where an elderly Paul introduces and concludes the narrative. The role of the older Paul was played by eighty-two-year-old Dabbs Greer in his final film appearance. Initially, however, the plan was for Tom Hanks to portray “Old Paul Edgecomb” himself. Unfortunately, the makeup team struggled to convincingly age Hanks into a centenarian, leading them to cast Greer in the role instead.
4. MORE THAN ONE MR. JINGLES APPEARED ON SCREEN.
Multiple mice, ranging from 15 to 30 trained rodents, were used to portray Mr. Jingles, the intelligent mascot of the ward. In addition to real mice, animatronics and CGI effects were employed, particularly in the scene where Mr. Jingles faces the cruel Percy Wetmore. The mice were directed to their positions using small portions of food.
5. DUNCAN’S STAND-IN SNUCK ONTO SET TO LAND THE JOB.
While Duncan secured his role in The Green Mile with ease, thanks to Willis’s endorsement, one crew member had to go to great lengths to get noticed. Rodney Barnes, an aspiring producer and writer working as a production assistant and set security guard, had dreams of meeting his idol, Stephen King. In an attempt to do so, Barnes hid in the back of a prop police vehicle to sneak onto the set. His daring stunt impressed director Darabont enough to land him a position on the film.
6. DARABONT ALLEGEDLY THREW A DOGHOUSE ON SET.
Filming wrapped up about a month later than planned, which naturally caused some frustration for the director. A rumor surfaced that Darabont, growing increasingly irritated, threw a prop doghouse in a fit of rage. However, Darabont addressed the story during the Blu-ray’s audio commentary, denying the incident and attributing the tale to Entertainment Weekly.
7. DUNCAN WASN’T ACTUALLY THAT TALL.
At 6 feet 5 inches, Duncan was undeniably a large man. However, on the set of The Green Mile, he was almost average height, surrounded by co-stars David Morse (6 feet 4 inches) and James Cromwell (6 feet 6 inches). The use of blocking techniques helped create the illusion that Duncan was towering over his fellow actors.
8. MANY OF THE ACTORS “LET THEMSELVES GO” DURING PRODUCTION.
In order to achieve period-accurate physiques, several actors allowed their usual fitness routines and diets to fall by the wayside. Among those who took this approach were Hanks, who embraced a slightly plump, everyman look; Duncan, who stopped weightlifting to avoid looking overly fit for the era; and Bonnie Hunt, who gained 15 pounds to play Hanks’s wife.
9. A COMICAL NAMING COINCIDENCE OCCURRED WITH THE CAST.
Two of Hanks’s fellow officers, played by Jeffrey DeMunn and Barry Pepper, are named Harry and Dean Stanton. Additionally, a blunt but cooperative inmate is portrayed by the legendary Harry Dean Stanton. This was purely a coincidence, as the names were directly taken from King’s original work.
10. THE FILM FEATURES TWO SIGNIFICANT ANACHRONISMS.
When Darabont moved King’s story from 1932 to 1935 to incorporate a reference to the 1935 Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical Top Hat, two other elements were overlooked, creating discrepancies with the time period. The first issue is with the lawmen’s uniforms; death row officers in the 1930s didn’t wear standardized uniforms. The second, and more glaring, mistake involves the electric chair. Louisiana didn’t adopt the electric chair as its primary method of execution until the early 1940s, making its use anachronistic.
11. HANKS STOOD UP FOR THE FILM’S LENGTH AGAINST CRITICS’ COMPLAINTS.
At a whopping 188 minutes, The Green Mile certainly demands a significant portion of your day. Critics of the film were vocal about the rising trend of three-hour-long movies, a fact that disappointed movie lover Hanks. He defended the lengthy runtime, saying, “Hey, it’s more movie for your dollar! It’s like an extra inning. Wow! Now you get a whole evening of entertainment!”
12. SPIKE LEE WAS A STRONG CRITIC OF THE JOHN COFFEY CHARACTER.
Spike Lee, known for his outspoken views on the portrayal of African American characters in Hollywood, criticized The Green Mile for what he and some film critics saw as the perpetuation of the “magic Negro” stereotype. This term refers to an enchanted Black character whose primary purpose is to improve the lives of white characters, a trope that Lee felt Duncan’s portrayal embodied.
13. THE GREEN MILE BECAME THE TOP GROSSING STEPHEN KING FILM.
While The Shining remains a cult favorite and The Shawshank Redemption might be the reigning champion of cable reruns, The Green Mile quietly raked in an impressive $136.8 million domestically and $286.8 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Stephen King adaptation at the time.
14. A REDDIT THREAD EXISTS TO PREDICT HOW LONG PAUL EDGECOMB WILL LIVE.
The film concludes with Paul, at the age of 108, pondering how much longer he will live due to the unnatural life force given to him by John Coffey. In 2013, a Reddit user sparked a discussion to estimate Paul’s potential lifespan, using Mr. Jingles, the similarly blessed mouse, as a reference point. Predictions ranged wildly, from 200 years to 10 quadrillion years.
15. THE GREEN MILE SHARES MULTIPLE CAST AND CREW MEMBERS WITH THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.
Frank Darabont’s 1994 film, another adaptation of a Stephen King story set in a prison, features several of the same actors and crew as The Green Mile, including Jeffrey DeMunn, William Sadler, Mack Miles, Brian Libby, composer Thomas Newman, editor Richard Francis-Bruce, and set decorator Michael Seirton.
