We might not be completely aware of the risks people take in order to bring a smile on our faces. As much as we enjoy movies, especially the blockbusters, we might not not know about the countless problems that can arise when producing and filming a movie. From on-set accidents to problems with the law, no cinema production is completely spared. Here is the top 7 behind-the-scenes problems that movies or shows have faced over the last years.
1. Marla Mae
Marla Mae is an independent horror movie about a mad doctor who commits terrible acts, such as killing a couple of characters in bloody ways. The protagonist is played by Jason Stange, an unknown actor, who did his role brilliantly, managing to truly impress the producers from the first audition. However, before starring in Marla Mae, Stange managed to rob a bank, but he got on probation before July 2014. Further on, he started shooting the horror movie and was arrested on the last day of filming, because he violated his probation. In spite of this fact, the director decided to keep his scenes in the movie, in order to make use of Stange’s notoriety for publicity.
2. The Allman Brothers biopic
When filming a movie, the producers need to take all safety measures that are necessary. Unfortunately, these regulations are not always respected. During the filming of the Allman Brothers biopic, the producers decided to include a dream sequence in the movie. Actor William Hurt was supposed to lay on a bed which was set on some railroad tracks on a bridge. However, no one bothered to get permission from the rail company in order to prevent any trains from passing. The actors and crew had about 60 seconds to flee from the scene if a train approached. Tragically, this is exactly what happened, and some crew members ended up badly hurt. Camera assistant Sarah Jones, who also worked on the popular Game of Thrones series, was propelled towards the train and died on the spot. As a result, the movie was shut down.
3. The Vanilla Ice Project
The famous hip-hop artist from the 1990s, Vanilla Ice recently decided to pursue a project for flipping houses. All went well for five seasons of the reality show, until he was accused of burglary. Apparently, during the filming of the show, certain objects started disappearing from neighboring houses quite close to the one the crew was fixing. It all became clear when the police found out that the film crew was hired when they were doing some shady business behind a Wallmart and were ordered to steal the items by Vanilla Ice himself. In the end, the musician pleaded guilty and had to do 100 community service hours. Some high quality burglary indeed.
4. Top Gear
You can never know the ways in which historical events might affect people even today. Top Gear did not pay enough attention to their license plate when they decided to film in Argentina back in 2014. The producers decided to film their Christmas special in Patagonia due to the harsh weather in the UK. However, they were completely taken by surprise when they woke up one day to find an angry crowd just outside their hotel. The reason? The license plate of their Porsche: H982 FKL. This may sound harmless to you, but not to the locals, who associated it with the occupation of Falkland Islands in 1982, when Argentina had to surrender. On their way back to the UK, the Top Gear crew survived other violent encounters which ended with an injured driver and a badly damaged car.
5. Game of Thrones
The popular and bloody fantasy series Game of Thrones was not spared from perilous incidents. The TV series shoots many of its scenes in Northern Ireland, which also serves as headquarters for a terrorist organization named IRA. These people had a problem with the military and ex-police who work for the security of the filming sets. Thus they came with the idea of planting a bomb in a garbage can in the cafeteria. Fortunately, their plan was brought to light by an informant, the tragedy was avoided, and you can patiently wait for the next season.
6. The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner is a popular book series which has recently been adapted for the big screen. During the filming of the second movie, The Scorch Trials, the cast and crew discovered with surprise that they were shooting on ancient burial grounds of the Native Americans. Diamond Tail Ranch assured them that they were allowed to film there as long as they left the place the same way they found it. However, the cast couldn’t resist the temptation of pocketing a couple of artifacts, as apparently they always take items from movie sets. There were no grave consequences for them as they were only required to apologize for their acts, but they did fall mysteriously ill a week after leaving the set.
7. Pirates of the Caribbean
The next installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series will be released in about two years, but the filming set has already recorded several incidents. First of all, a man wearing a pirate costume tried to board the Black Pearl ship, with his parrot pal. The crew thought he was part of the movie and thus he was able to get to the security, where he pulled a knife and made threats. However, he couldn’t make his dream come true and had to flee into some bushes. Secondly, Jack the Monkey had to be put in quarantine in Australia by animal control. Furthermore, Amber Heard, Johnny Depp’s wife was caught while trying to smuggle her dogs into Australia, and will have to pay a painful fine. And last but not least, Johnny Depp himself managed to injure his hand while filming and had to go through surgery back in the U.S. Quite a lot of problems for the pirates.
Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7