30 Fascinating Movie Details You Probably Never Noticed (31 Photos)
We all love a good movie. But there are certain cinematic masterpieces we rewatch time and time again, spotting neat little details with every view. Even if you're a hardcore film buff, this list is bound to feature a few facts and Easter eggs you never knew existed. In fact, there's an entire Reddit community dedicated solely to movie trivia like this! 
In
Maleficent
(2014), young Princess Aurora was played by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 5-year-old daughter, Vivienne. She got the role simply because she was the only one of Jolie's younger kids who wasn't terrified of her in full costume and makeup. 
In the 1996 comedy
Kingpin
, Bill Murray actually bowled three strikes in a row for the scene where his character does so. The crowd's wild reaction was 100% genuine applause! 
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
used coconut halves to mimic the sound of horses' hooves. The idea came from actor Michael Palin because the film's budget couldn't stretch to cover real horses. 
The aliens in
Men in Black
(1997) spoke Huttese—the exact same language Jabba the Hutt speaks in
Star Wars
. 
Sean Bean’s script for the Council of Elrond scene in
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(2001) was rewritten the night before filming. To get through it, he taped his lines to his knee. During that now-famous moment, he’s actually glancing down to read his lines. 
In
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
(2002), Lucius Malfoy hits Draco's hand with his cane. Jason Isaacs didn't realize the cane had sharp little fangs on it, so Tom Felton's wince of pain was entirely real. 
In
Deadpool 2
(2018), while interviewing potential members for his superhero team, Deadpool considers Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the US Supreme Court Justice. 
During the dojo fight scene between Morpheus and Neo in
The Matrix
(1999), their movements briefly line up to visually form a yin-yang symbol. 
In
Knives Out
(2019), K Callan, who plays Great-Nana Wanetta, is actually six years younger than Christopher Plummer, who plays her son, Harlan. 
When Liam Neeson was asked to play the villain in
A Million Ways to Die in the West
(2014), he agreed specifically because of a gag in
Family Guy
where Peter says:
“Imagine Liam Neeson in a Western! Ha! With his funny accent!” 
In the original
Rocky
(1976), when Stallone runs through the Italian Market, passersby were genuinely bewildered because they had no idea why a guy was running back and forth. The moment someone tosses him an orange was completely unscripted. 
In
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
(2007), all the girls wear skirts except for Ginny (3rd from the left)—likely a nod to her wearing hand-me-down trousers from her older brothers. 
In
Event Horizon
(1997), Sam Neill requested that the Union Jack on his Australian flag patch be replaced with the Aboriginal flag, believing that's what it would look like by 2047. 
In
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
(1976), Asterix shows Obelix they are on the fourth floor by holding up his fingers to form the Roman numeral "IV". 
While filming
12 Monkeys
(1995), director Terry Gilliam was worried Brad Pitt wouldn't be able to pull off the rapid, nervous speech pattern. He originally sent him to a speech coach, but ultimately just took away Pitt's cigarettes—and Pitt nailed the jittery performance perfectly. 
In
Interstellar
(2014), the black hole rendering was so scientifically precise that individual frames took up to 100 hours to render. Every single second of black hole screen time required roughly 100 days of processing power. 
In
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(1989), every character wearing a flower on their lapel tries to kill Indy. He even foreshadows Elsa's betrayal by handing her a flower when they first meet. 
For
Troy
(2004), Brad Pitt and Eric Bana opted not to use stunt doubles for their epic duel. They agreed to pay each other for any accidental hits: $50 for a light blow and $100 for a heavy strike. Pitt ended up owing Bana $750, while Bana didn't owe Pitt a single cent.
The Story Behind Star Wars' Iconic "I Am Your Father" Line
The twist that Darth Vader is Luke's father was kept under strict secrecy throughout the filming of
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
. 
To prevent leaks, a fake script page was given to the cast, where Vader tells Luke:
“Obi-Wan killed your father!”
David Prowse, who wore the Vader suit, delivered those exact fake lines on set. Only minutes before filming, Mark Hamill (Luke) was told the truth and instructed to react as if Vader had just revealed he was his father. The iconic line "I am your father" was dubbed in later during post-production. 
In
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(2005), Charlie's father works at the Smilex toothpaste factory. "Smylex" is the name of the toxic gas created by the Joker in
Batman
(1989), which was also directed by Tim Burton. 
In
The Dark Knight Rises
(2012), Bruce doesn't wear a mask to the masquerade ball because he views Batman as his true identity and Wayne as the disguise. When Selina asks him:
“Who are you supposed to be?”
He replies:
“Bruce Wayne, eccentric billionaire.” 
In
The Incredibles
(2004), director Brad Bird wanted Dash to sound genuinely out of breath. To achieve this, he made voice actor Spencer Fox run four laps around the Pixar studio before recording. 
While making
Rango
(2011), the cast physically acted out their scenes on set just like a live-action film, which the animators then used as a reference. 
In
Dumb and Dumber
(1994), Lloyd's chipped tooth is 100% real. Jim Carrey had chipped his tooth in a childhood brawl and later had it capped. For the movie, he had the cap temporarily removed to make his character look even sillier. 
In
The Wizard of Oz
(1939), Terry the dog (who played Toto) was paid $125 per week during filming. 
In
Inglourious Basterds
(2009), while searching the dairy farm, Hans Landa subtly checks the wrist pulse of one of LaPadite's daughters to gauge her nervousness and see if she's lying. 
In
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
(2011), one of the weapons used by the giants during the Battle of Hogwarts is actually a broken Quidditch goal post. 
While filming
Scream
(1996), Drew Barrymore accidentally dialed 911 for real multiple times. The prop master had forgotten to unplug the landline phone before filming. Barrymore would dial, scream, and hang up—prompting the police department to actually call back after one take to check what was going on. 
In
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
(2006), actor Mackenzie Crook had to wear two contact lenses stacked on top of each other to achieve his character's "wooden" eye look. 
In
Moana
(2016), during the opening sequence song "We Know The Way," none of the wayfinders have tattoos. They only began getting tattoos after settling on the island, as ocean voyaging didn't allow them the time or tools to develop tattooing techniques.
