15 Behind-the-Scenes Facts About Famous Movies

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

1

The iconic ruby slippers were originally silver in the book but changed to red to take advantage of Technicolor.

Star Wars (1977)

2

 The sound of Darth Vader’s breathing was created using a scuba regulator.

The Shining (1980)

3

The “Here’s Johnny!” scene took three days to shoot, with Jack Nicholson going through 60 doors.

Titanic (1997)

4

James Cameron drew all of Jack’s sketches, including the famous one of Rose.

Jurassic Park (1993)

5

The T. rex’s roars were a mix of dog, penguin, tiger, alligator, and elephant sounds.

The Dark Knight (2008)

6

Heath Ledger locked himself in a hotel room for a month to prepare for his role as the Joker.

Forrest Gump (1994)

7

Tom Hanks didn't take a salary for the movie; instead, he negotiated a percentage of the box office, which earned him around $40 million.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

8

John Travolta was paid $150,000 for his role, while Bruce Willis, despite being a bigger star, agreed to work for less because of his passion for the film.

The Godfather (1972)

9

Marlon Brando improvised the famous “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” line by stuffing his cheeks with cotton.

Jaws (1975)

10

The mechanical shark was so unreliable that Steven Spielberg had to shoot around it, which ended up making the movie scarier.

The Matrix (1999)

11

The iconic “bullet-dodging” scene took 120 days to shoot and involved groundbreaking camera techniques.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

12

The famous scene of E.T. hiding among stuffed animals was filmed using real toys and one animatronic puppet.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

13

 The food in the Great Hall scenes was real and left out during filming, resulting in a rather unpleasant smell.

Back to the Future (1985)

14

Michael J. Fox filmed Back to the Future during the day and worked on Family Ties at night, sleeping only a few hours per day.

The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003)

15

 Viggo Mortensen broke two toes while kicking a helmet in The Two Towers, but he stayed in character, and the shot was used in the final cut.