We all have iconic films that we know and love. But did you know that behind every iconic film is a set of iconic behind-the-scenes film facts to make the films even more iconic? This Christmas season, take some of these stories to share with friends and family as you watch.
Candyman
In the iconic (and grotesque) scene with the bees—yes, that one, where Tony Todd has a ton of bees in his mouth—Todd only agreed to let the bees be live under one condition. He said he’d allow them to put real bees in his mouth if he got $1,000 for each time he was stung. In the end, he was stung 23 times. Not a bad day at work (if you ignore the whole having bees in your mouth part).
Supernatural
Here’s one that will change how you watch the show. In Supernatural, the holy water you see on screen is actually a mix of lube and water. Lovely.
Friends
Do you remember the iconic wedding episode, when Ross accidentally says Rachel’s name instead of Emily’s? Yeah? Well, that moment actually was as a result of an earlier rehearsal. In truth, David Schwimmer (who plays Ross) actually mixed up the names when rehearsing for a different episode, and the writers decided to stick it in the wedding episode.
Spider-Man
You might imagine the iconic MJ-catching-tray-catching scene from the first Spider-Man film was done with CGI. In fact, none of it was. Tobey Maguire actually had to do all that himself—and it took 156 takes. No surprise there.
The Sound of Music
In the musical number ‘Something Good’ from The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer’s silhouettes had to be filmed, rather than a detailed shot, because Andrews kept laughing. The lights above the two kept making weird noises, sending Andrews into fits of giggles—not quite the tone they wanted for this scene.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
During the train scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, both Harrison Ford and Sean Connery were only wearing underwear on their bottom half. They shot it during the summer when it was unbearably hot. Ironically, the scene is set during the wintertime—you can see the extras in the back all wearing massive fur coats and hats. But not Ford and Connery! Just underwear for the stars…
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
One of the most heart-breaking monologues on this show (and there were a fair few) was delivered by Emma Caulfield’s character, Anya. But Caulfield has revealed that, while delivering the monologue, all she could think about was how much she needed the loo.
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls might be iconic for its coffee-obsessed protagonists, but Alexis Bledel (who plays Rory) actually hated the taste of coffee so much she asked for her coffee to be swapped out. That’s right—whenever you see Rory with coffee on the show, she’s actually drinking coke out of her mug.
For other film facts, why not read about 20 fun facts about Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to celebrate its 20th anniversary?
