Just because it is online, doesn’t mean it is accurate

The IMDB trivia page is a fascinating place, where one has the rare chance to take a sneak peek at what’s happening behind the scenes of each movie. Not all of them are true, though, and some are so perfect, so perfectly in line with what we believe to be true, they keep resurfacing despite being debunked numerous times. Here are three such ‘facts’.

Harrison Ford was cast as Han Solo completely by accident

The Myth: Back in the 70s, a then-up-and-coming actor named Harrison Ford was making some extra money on the side working as a carpenter. The roguish, gruff yet dashing actor was one day tasked with fixing a door at a place where a young rebel director named George Lucas was holding casting sessions to find the man for the role of the roguish, gruff yet dashing smuggler named Han Solo. Lucas was at his wits’ end when he noticed the roguish, gruff yet dashing carpenter hammering away and convinced him to audition. The rest is history.

The Truth: The rumour that somehow Ford landed one of the most iconic roles in cinema history completely by accident is, of course, not true. Casting is an arduous, rigorous process, and it is extremely rare for anyone to just stumble upon a role. There is a nugget of truth to the story, though.

Lucas knew perfectly well who Ford was as he had cast him in his previous movie American Graffiti. Ford became good friends with long-time Lucas collaborator, casting director Fred Roos, who, wanting to keep Ford close and trying to land roles for him, had him working as a carpenter on the side between auditions. Roos told Lucas that Ford would be ideal for Solo, but the director was sceptical because he didn’t want people to associate Star Wars with his previous work. To convince Lucas, Roos hired Ford to do carpentry work at the studio where the auditions were held so he could be around and be used by Lucas as a casting partner, an actor who read lines with prospective candidates. Lucas couldn’t find anyone he was happy with and ended up casting Ford as everyone’s favourite rogue.

Leonardo DiCaprio smeared his co-star with blood in Django Unchained

The Myth: Leo DiCaprio, during a particularly emotional scene in Django Unchained, accidentally broke the glass he was holding and cut himself. Unphased, he continued with the scene and even incorporated the accident into it using his blood to smear Kerry Washington’s face. She could only look in absolute awe of her co-star’s commitment to his craft.

The Truth: Smearing your blood on someone is assault. If DiCaprio had even touched Washington, she would have grounds to sue both him and the studio for an amount of money that would make Jeff Bezos blush. So, no, DiCaprio didn’t assault his co-star, and that scene did not make it into the movie. Much like the previous entry, though, there is some truth to it.

In an interview on the Drew Barrymore Show, Washington said that during that particular scene, DiCaprio did have an accident when he smashed a glass and cut his hand. Director Quentin Tarantino loved it, but he wasn’t sure if he could use it, so for the remainder of the scene he shot two versions: one with blood, one without, and he would decide later which version to use. DiCaprio was given medical assistance, and for the rest of the scene, they used fake blood.

R. Lee Ermey improvised all his lines in Full Metal Jacket

The Myth: R Lee Ermey was cast to play the drill sergeant in Stanley Kubrick’s film but decided to scrap the script and ad-libbed all his lines in the infamous basic training scene. Both Kubrick and his co-stars were stunned but decided to play along, resulting in a scene that is now classic.

The Truth: The notion that famously perfectionist Stanley Kubrick would just allow someone to march on set and ad-lib lines is beyond ludicrous. Kubrick is now famous for two things: great cinema and pushing actors to their limits. Famously, the staircase scene in The Shining where Duval swings a bat at Jack Nicholson had to be shot 127 times until Kubrick got the perfect one. So no, Kubrick didn’t sit by while Ermey took over.

But Ermey was hired for the movie, although not as the drill sergeant, rather a consultant to ensure that the drill sergeant actor was as close to the real thing as possible. Ermey, who had been a Marine Corps drill sergeant himself, was not happy with the portrayal and convinced Kubrick to give him a shot. They sat down together, and Ermey rewrote about half his lines, rehearsed during filming, and when the day came, he delivered the script as it was written.