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Issue Date: May 1, 2005
27 things you didn't know about the biggest pictures
As Hollywood hauls out this season's crop, here are some conversation starters for that long ticket line at the megaplex.
By Jamie Malanowski
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (this Friday) Sam Rockwell based his portrayal of the two-headed president of the galaxy (one head is usually hidden) on three models: Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury and Bill Clinton.
CRASH (next Friday) In this story about the intersecting lives of a racially diverse cast of Angelenos, Sandra Bullock's character takes a painful fall. When recording audio for the scene, director Paul Haggis had Bullock lie on her stomach. Then he climbed onto her back. Bullock nailed the scream.
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM (next Friday) Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney called in every favor at his disposal to get access to the vacant Enron headquarters in Houston. When he finally gained entrance, he found that, eerily, everything had been left as it was when the energy company collapsed.
THE LONGEST YARD (May 27) After studying under ex-NFL QB Sean Salisbury, Adam Sandler impressed onlookers when he hit ex-Cowboy Michael Irvin with a perfect 45-yard spiral.
MADAGASCAR (May 27) Directors Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell were first paired on an animated penguin movie based on the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night." When that was shelved, they went to work on another fish-out-of-water film -- this time about New Yorkers stuck on Madagascar. Except here the urbanites are a lion, zebra, giraffe and hippo from the Central Park Zoo.
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS (June 3) To help the film's four young actresses get into their roles, director Ken Kwapis took them to a thrift shop, handed each $75 and instructed them to (in character) pick out clothes for themselves and their friends.
THE HONEYMOONERS (June 10) Cedric the Entertainer and Mike Epps invested a lot of off-camera hours bonding over PlayStation to build a relationship that would carry over to their portrayals of Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton.
MR. AND MRS. SMITH (June 10) Married assassins Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie kept sharp by attending "spy school": weekly gun-training and tactics sessions with crew members.
BATMAN BEGINS (June 17) The Batmobile has had a makeover. Director Chris Nolan and production designer Nathan Crowley came up with the new ride by combining parts from toy cars and planes. Then they asked engineers, "Can you make this?"
HERBIE: FULLY LOADED (June 24) The Volkswagen Beetle is still No. 53. Original "Love Bug" producer Bill Walsh chose that double digit as a salute to Don Drysdale, the great Dodgers pitcher.
BEWITCHED (June 24) Samantha's trademark nose twitch is no cinch; Nicole Kidman really had to practice it. During filming, the cast and crew were taped trying to wiggle their noses. Besides Kidman, two out of 120 were gifted at it.
RIZE (June 24) Director David LaChapelle was introduced to krumping, a dance movement that combines clowning and hip-hop moves, by the dancers from Christina Aguilera's video for "Dirrty."
WAR OF THE WORLDS (June 29) Tom Cruise and young co-stars Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin were in a tank filming underwater shots when director Steven Spielberg was inspired to add a little mood music. It was one of his personal favorites: the theme from "Jaws."
DARK WATER (July 8) In this psychological thriller, Jennifer Connelly is plagued by leaks in her apartment -- lots of them. More than 100,000 gallons of water were used during filming.
HUSTLE & FLOW (July 15) When Terrence Howard dislocated his finger in a fight scene, co-star Anthony Anderson immediately snapped it back into place, and filming resumed.
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (July 15) The candy-making squirrels in Willy Wonka's factory are real squirrels, trained from birth for their parts.
HAPPY ENDINGS (July 15) After Tom Arnold finished his part, he sent the cast massage therapists and champagne.
WEDDING CRASHERS (July 15) When Rachel McAdams learned that her role required her to sail, she took a class. That investment paid off during the shoot: When thunderstorms arose, she helped the crew race for land.
BAD NEWS BEARS (July 22) During the wrap party, star Billy Bob Thornton performed with his band. They were joined by surprise guest Alice Cooper.
THE ISLAND (July 22) White Puma tennis shoes should spike in popularity after audiences realize that's what Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson and the thousands of other residents are wearing in the film's mysterious facility.
STEALTH (July 29) When a picture of the Talon (a fighter plane invented for the film) on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was circulated online, the Navy received a flood of calls from military personnel and civilians asking about this "new" aircraft.
DOOM (Aug. 5) About to shoot this film in Prague, The Rock heard about a young Iraqi named Muthana whose dreams of attending film school had been shattered by the war. The actor got him a job as a production assistant on the movie and ultimately paid for him to attend the London Film Academy.
GRIZZLY MAN (Aug. 5) This film is about bear advocate Timothy Treadwell, who was killed by grizzlies in 2003. Treadwell nearly had a vastly different fate: He auditioned for the role Woody Harrelson made famous on "Cheers."
THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (Aug. 5) So badly did Jessica Simpson want to be cast as Daisy Duke that, while being considered for the role, she named her dog Daisy, hoping it would bring her luck.
DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO (Aug. 12) After boasting about his skill at making shrimp scampi, Rob Schneider was invited by an Amsterdam restaurant to take over its kitchen and prepare the dish. Schneider made dinner for the cast and crew, and earned a permanent place on the menu. Diners at the Palladio can now order Scampi à la Bigalow.
RED EYE (Aug. 19) While shooting this thriller about a kidnapped woman, director Wes Craven took a weekend off and eloped.
VALIANT (Aug. 19) This animated film about a pigeon who becomes a WWII Royal Air Force hero isn't so far-fetched: During the war, homing pigeons were honored with the Dickin Medal, an award for valiant animals, more than any other animal.
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