40+ Behind The Scenes Photos That Will Ruin Your Favorite Movies
We all know Hollywood is full of smoke and mirrors, and we can hardly believe anything on the silver screen. Yet, a little part of us holds out for a smidge of truth even in the smallest details of a film. But one Twitter account has basically ruined it all for us by exposing some mighty interesting behind-the-scenes images. Thanks to @behind_pics, we cannot un-see some pretty horrific behind-the-scenes images, and we no longer believe in fairies. It goes without saying that there are some major spoilers coming up of both plotlines as well as the “making of” your favorite films. Be ready to accept that Gandalf isn’t really so tall, Hannibal Lecter isn’t really so scary, and worst of all, the Teletubbies are only costumed adults. Childhood ruined!
Jungle Book
When we heard that Disney was releasing a live-action version of The Jungle Book, we screamed and immediately broke into song, belting “The Bear Necessities.” And hats off to first-time actor Neel Sethi who landed the iconic role of Mowgli at just 12-ears old.
The actor had to use every ounce of his imagination to envision a host of terrifying and magnificent creatures who star alongside him in the film. Here he is seen riding on Baloo’s back. These googly eyes would have us laughing more than the acting, for sure!
E.T.: Extra Terrestrial
The 80s was not only a time for big hair and anthem songs, but it was also a decade that brought us some of the most classic cult films of our generation. E.T is no different, and we still grab the tissues closer every time we cue it up on Netflix.
The ways in which directors had to manipulate cameras before the arrival of high-tech computer programs is nothing short of astonishing. This simple cloth with 2 holes is used to mimic E.T.’s point of view and give us a comical look at what E.T. sees.
Star Wars
Star Wars is another cult classic from the 80s that needs no introduction. The amount of sorcery that went into making this film is incredible, and we are always amazed when we see some of the models and miniatures made for this production.
This image shows the Ewoks from Endor unmasked. Instead of the CGI characters we would see today, Star Wars employed actors with dwarfism to portray these beloved creatures. It is still a bit disturbing to see these half-human-half-Ewoks. Please put your heads back!
Thor: Ragnarok
The bromance between “Thor” actor Chris Hemsworth and co-star Mark Ruffalo is the thing that dreams are made of! But instead of Mark, we see the director Taika Waititi messing about in the giant Hulk prop on the set of Thor: Ragnarok.
Although this image never made it into the film, we would love to see what this looks like when all the CGI has been applied! In the Marvel comic books, Thor and She-Hulk are dating, so we might see it on screen one of these days!
SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
When David Hasselhoff made an appearance in the SpongeBob movie, we nearly lost it. But when he proceeded to then use his pecks to launch SpongeBob, Garry, and Patrick back to Bikini Bottom, we knew we had seen it all.
This is quite disappointing to see that they used a robot for this scene because we loved believing that the Hoff could actually move his pecks on command to act as a sponge launcher. We guess the only stunt he does is slo-mo running down a beach!
Jason and the Argonauts
Even though it was a box-office flop at the time, this film is now a classic thanks to its ingenious use of stop motion animation combined with live-action footage. Jason battles an army of skeletons in one of the film’s most epic scenes.
Keen observers will notice that the skeletons are not quite as life-sized in this image as they are in the film. This makes this cinematic achievement even more outstanding! Ray Harryhausen is the man in the image and was also the inventor of this groundbreaking animation style.
Alien 3
It must be pretty demotivating that you try your hardest to kill Sigourney Weaver, but 3 whole films later, and she is still around! There, there Alien. You will get her one of these days; just keep trying your best.
Either that or the Alien suit is just intensely hot and the poor actor needs a rest. Either way, this is one funny photo and humanizes this otherwise terrifying monster. We never thought we would want to give the Alien a shoulder rub, but here we are.
Wolverine
Wolverine is by far one of our favorite Marvel characters. He is dark, mysterious, sexy as hell, and not to mention fearless! But this image certainly toned down the sexiness factor as any man doing the Gangnam style dance automatically moves down a notch or two on the hotness scale.
In our minds, the singing, dancing Hugh Jackman, and the ass-kicking superhero Hugh Jackman are two very different people. And when these two worlds collide, we don’t really know how to act or what to think. Stay in your lane Hugh!
Star Wars Episode lll
Johnny Cash, is that you? The years have not been kind to you at all! This photo makes Emperor Palpatine look a thousand times less menacing. We really just should put Ray-Bans on all the bad guys from now on- nightmares solved!
Thanks to Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid, the emperor was brought to life in the 4th installment of the Star Wars Franchise, more frightening than ever. But we live for these behind-the-scenes moments where actors can break character for a split second.
Planet of the Apes
If there has ever been an actress that we are not surprised to see dressed up as an ape, it is Helena Bonham Carter. This lady has done just about everything for her films, and we honestly love her commitment so much!
This image is very surreal. It is as if she is saying, “why are you looking at me like that? Have you never seen an ape smoking in platform sneakers before?” We wouldn’t be surprised if hubby Tim Burton required her to wear this costume home too.
The Amazing World of Gumball
This is one of those Cartoon Network shows that have us constantly asking, “WTF?” Back in the day, we had not-safe-for-children characters like “HIM” from The Powerpuff Girls and the egomaniac Johnny Bravo. But never have we been as confused by a whole show as with this one.
Characters are suspended between a world of animation, Claymation, cardboard cutouts, and this atrocity, human appendages disguised as little girls. This is the kind of thing you can never un-see, and we would very much like to wash our eyes out with soap now, please.
Dr. Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch has become a household name thanks to his major roles in the Marvel series and “Holmes.” It has even gone so far that he has a dedicated group of fangirls who have named themselves the “Cumberbi*ches”, and who can blame them?!
Considering Dr. Strange’s ability to travel through time, this image is actually not really so strange at all. It’s just the doctor traveling to the future to see the outcomes of his battles in the past. Nothing wrong with this logic!
Pingu
There are a few shows from our childhood that we remember with great fondness. These shows didn’t corrupt us in any way and just provided pure and wholesome entertainment. One such legend was the cute and clumsy clay penguin, Pingu.
Seeing this group of characters as static clay figures instead of the animated ones we see on TV gives us heaps more appreciation for the intense time and detail that went into making these little episodes. Our Saturday mornings would not have been the same without you, little guy!
The Joker
The 2019 blockbuster, The Joker, was the start of a whole new avenue for DC Black Label films, where traditional DC comics were taken and reworked for adult audiences, dealing with darker themes. The film was groundbreaking, and Joaquin Phoenix deserved every bit of the Oscar he was awarded for his performance.
Here, director Todd Phillips can be seen speaking to the actor during one of the most gut-wrenching scenes of the film. Arthur Fleck, before he becomes the Joker, is beaten up by some scoundrels in the street. This scene hits us right in the feels every time!
Silence of the Lambs
This classic was a new kind of scary, where we don’t see the baddy rip someone’s face off, but rather we see them play dastardly mind games and destroy someone’s psyche. It was truly evil and gave us sleepless nights for weeks!
Not even Anthony Hopkins cracking a smile while on set can make the sight of Hannibal Lecter any less terrifying. Gene Hackman was originally considered for this part, but you would agree that there is no one better for this role than Sir. Anthony.
Forest Gump
Forest Gump is another film we can watch a million times over and never get sick of it. And Forest’s delightfully oblivious way of keeping Lt. Dan out of trouble is simply heartwarming. This scene is one of many special moments from the film.
The lieutenant thanks Forest for saving his life and then jumps in the water, swimming contently like never before. “He never said it, but I think he made his peace with the Lord” Forest says. *pulls tissues closer and sobs uncontrollably *
Guardians of the Galaxy
If you are wondering why Kraglin is dressed in green, the answer is simple. The actor who plays Kraglin, Sean Gunn, also did the motion reference work for Rocket Racoon! Sometimes nepotism does pay off… (Sean is the brother of Guardians director, James Gunn).
But motion capture and reference work aren’t nearly as glamorous as you might think. The poor guy had to walk and stand in precarious positions in order to mimic Rocky’s height and posture. It looks like hard work to us!
Titanic
The plank WAS big enough! We will never forgive Rose for letting Jack sink to the bottom. His death suited her just fine because now she didn’t have to explain why she was saved with a peasant boy. A very simple solution!
James Cameron is taking his job pretty seriously here, opting for a full emersion directorial style rather than sitting in the director’s chair with a megaphone. By the looks of it, that plank is actually big enough for the three of them which is just super frustrating. Damn you, Rose!
Teletubbies
Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Poooooohold on a minute! What is this atrocity! Teletubbies aren’t real? What, next, are you going to tell us Santa is fake too? Ok, ok, we just wanted to keep the illusion alive a little while longer.
Once we saw that the Teletubbies sun baby now has a baby of her own, we quickly reached for the Tylenol to compensate for our advanced age. It was always a dream of ours to be one of the kids broadcasting from a Tele-belly, but our dreams lay shattered in a dream graveyard along with our hopes of being on Temple Run or a Toys“R”Us sweepstake.
The Walking Dead
The make-up department on the set of the walking dead work hours on end to make walkers look extra gruesome and scary. At the helm is special effects maestro Greg Nicotero, who has been creating some frightening monsters on screen for more than 30 years.
Not only is he an artist in that sense, but he has also directed 34 episodes of the award-winning TV show! He would often be on set in full zombie makeup to immerse himself fully in his post-apocalyptic surroundings. Now, that’s dedication!
Dr. Who
This doesn’t really look like someone who has been invited to watch the destruction of Earth in the year 5 billion, does it? Moxx of Balhoon is a gross little brut that gave the 9th Doctor a very unpleasant gift, saliva, which he spat at Rose. Gross!
He is portrayed by the actor Jimmy Vee, but there is one noticeable difference between the alien and the actor, legs! Fandom says the alien’s legs were crippled by disease, and he now has to sit in an anti-gravity chair. That sounds like fun!
Star Wars
Has there ever been a more iconic sci-fi character than the one and only Yoda? Frank Oz from Muppets fame was the puppeteer and the voice behind the green Jedi master, but there were, however, second unit shots where a real actor had to portray Yoda.
This was left to Deep Roy, who also played Droopy McCool and an Ewok. Roy, who is only 4’4” tall had to walk on his knees as he was too tall to play Yoda! This must have been a first. Yoda is only 2’2”, so dynamite really comes in small packages!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Voldemort and Dumbledore didn’t have much-shared screen time, which makes this image all the more ridiculous. Or shall we say “Riddikulus”? These two mortal enemies would never sit and have a chat, even less so in the Ministry of Magic!
The second weirdest thing about this photo is that Voldemort has a nose! Contrary to popular belief, actor Ralph Fiennes does not actually look like a snake, and his nose was digitally removed for this role. This photo just puts us in the mood for a Harry Potter marathon.
Garfield
Well, if this face isn’t just all of us on a Monday morning… Garfield, our favorite lasagna-loving kitty, was, in fact, a CGI creation in the 2004 film of the same name, but for promotional purposes, this “real-life” tubby tabby was created.
Garfield is looking a little worse for wear if you ask us. But it’s a tough job being a lazy cat, and we get it! You must be exhausted! Add on the pressures of being an international superstar, too; it must be unbearable. Thanks for making us laugh, big guy!
Thor
In 2011 a whole new generation of ladies was dragged to the cinema to check out the hunky new Thor, Chris Hemsworth. Little did we know that the Aussie eye candy wasn’t the only reason we would be watching it! Great plot, funny banter, intriguing family drama, we were hooked!
It is ironic to see the Frost Giant King, Loki’s father, sport the ultimate dad threads. Everything from the glasses to the dad jeans and new balance sneakers screams “dad mode.” We wonder if his dad jokes pack a punch too?
Avengers: Infinity War
To be ranked under the top 5 highest-grossing movies of all time is no small matter. After grossing more than $2 billion, that’s a billion with a “B”, Infinity War is also one of the films with the best special effects in recent history.
Here we can see our favorite Spidey, Tom Holland, sporting the latest in Motion Capture suit technology. We can’t help but think that the suit Tony Start designed for Spiderman actually looks like this underneath. Loving the confidence from you too, Chris Pratt!
Shrek
If there has ever been a children’s movie aimed at adults, this has been it. Shrek was chock full of naughty one-liners and suggestive puns, and we still find ourselves quoting it 20 years later. Hold up, 20 YEARS!! It’s been 20 years since the release of Shrek?
Shrek’s face in these pre-production images kind of resembles our when we just made that realization. We wonder how much they would get away with these days with such a PC culture sweeping over Hollywood? Oh well, we will always have the swamp!
Jurassic World
Another 90s treasure that has come back even bigger than before. Jurassic World follows the same plotline of a theme park dedicated to cloned dinosaurs, and things go awry. Only this time around, the dinos are 100 times more lifelike and scary thanks to all the available new technology!
So how do you make something less scary? You put sunglasses on it, of course! In this film, there were no animatronic dinosaurs used, but instead, sculptures like this were used during the filming process to give the actors places to focus their gaze. Interesting stuff!
The Amazing Spiderman
Our second favorite Spiderman, Andrew Garfield, was seen in the 2012 adaptation, The Amazing Spiderman. The film was steeped in controversy and wasn’t the most successful of the Spiderman universe, but we enjoyed it even though it didn’t completely have our spidey senses tingling.
Andrew trained no less than 6 grueling months for this role and performed many of his stunts himself. For this, he had to train in fields like parkour, gymnastics, and trampoline, but he also had to improve on his skateboarding and basketball skills.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
We never grow tired of the Pirates franchise, and the behind-the-scenes photos are equally spectacular, considering the amount of unreal action that goes on in these films. This is certainly a technique we haven’t seen before, though! Color us intrigued…
Thousands of blue balls were released on deck to be later replaced with water in post-production. This allows the actors to better act as if they were struggling to stay above water instead of unnaturally miming it. This is simply genius!
The Matrix
We could have gone our whole lives without seeing this image, thank you very much! The moment we saw Neo and Trinity dodge the bullets for the first time, we were speechless! This shot will go down in cinematic history for sure.
But seeing the magic behind this astonishing feat is a little disappointing. Can we please take the blue pill and forget all about it? What we actually want to know is: how did Morpheus’s glasses stay on? That is real sorcery.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight reigned in a new era for The Batman franchise and brought us one of the most iconic movie villains of all time. We will forever miss Heath Ledger, and this sublime actor was taken too soon. R.I.P
We treasure candid moments like this where we can see Heath enjoying life and having a little fun. Rumor had it that Heath never broke character during the filming, but here it is obvious that he wasn’t completely as consumed as some would have us believe.
Godzilla
The 90s was a time to be alive if you love cinema as much as we do. Godzilla pulled out all the stops to bring us the most authentic experience possible, and we loved every second of it! Not only did they use CGI and animatronics, but they had real actors in costume too.
They built miniatures of Manhattan to 1/10 and 1/24 scale of the real thing and had this ultra-realistic creature stop around, just like in the 1954 original film. We bet those shoes will help this lizard cover some good ground when getting away from the authorities!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit brought us plenty of dwarf action, and we loved every moment of it. Pity, it wasn’t all real! Poor Gandalf often had to act alone, and the dwarfs were later superimposed into the scenes to help with the illusion of their stocky stature.
A fun little fact for you: instead of introducing all the dwarves, one-by-one, they fall into Bag End in a big pile to save some time! Considering the movie is 3hours and 2 minutes long, we don’t know how much of a difference a few minutes would have made.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
This film brought us one of the biggest twist endings of all time when we found out our here has been stuck on post-apocalyptic Earth all along, and not a far off ape planet as he had thought! So shocking!
Since then, we have seen multiple re-incarnations of the film but nothing compares to when Taylor falls to his knees screaming “damn you! Damn you all to hell!” We also can’t help thinking that this is what a Planet of the Apes really looked like. Apes leisurely sunbathing while human slaves bring them tea.
The Matrix Revolutions
Agent Smith is one of those “love to hate him” characters. He is creepy and evil in all the right ways—a perfect villain. And what’s more, he can multiply himself! Endless Agent Smiths to haunt us in our dreams!
Who can forget the epic battle between Neo and Smith in The Matrix Revolution, where they made Inception look like a children’s movie. This photo is one of those moments where you realize there is a glitch in the Matrix, but we love Hugo Weaving’s sense of humor.
I am Legend
We all learned a big lesson about humanity in this film: we were angrier about Sam the German Sheppard dying than any other human dying in this movie. The fight scene between the Zombie Dogs and Dr. Neville had us at the edge of our seats!
It is a little less terrifying seeing a man in a green gimp suit behind these hairless hounds, but the image of Will Smith shooting his faithful companion will forever be etched into our brains. Can we all agree that dogs are off-limits in zombie movies from now on?
The Muppets Wizard of Oz
Quintin Tarantino starring in a Muppets film. That is one concept we never thought we would see in a million years! Yet, it happened, and it was pure magic! Quintin was glorious, bringing all his manic energy to the film and scaring the wits out of poor Kermit.
Also, can we just take a moment to acknowledge how fine Miss Piggy looks all clad in leather? No wonder Quintin couldn’t keep his lips off of her. Kermy can’t be too happy with this! Rather stick with bloody thrillers QT, if you know what’s good for you.
Jaws
If you are anything like us, you were too scared to even get in a bathtub after the release of Jaws. You never know when a crazy great white shark was going to sneak up on you and gobble you up!
Seeing how awfully robotic and fake the shark looks in retrospect, we feel a little silly now. Steven Spielberg, the director of this cult classic, is having a leisurely sit in the shark’s mouth. I think we are going to need a bigger shark!
American Psycho
The image of Jared Leto being bludgeoned to death to the sound of Huey Lewis and the News is quite iconic. Instead of classic bloody murder screeches, we were singing along to “it’s hip to be square.” It is quite unsettling.
But luckily for us, the blue-eyed boy is still around, and we can enjoy him as on-screen as a trans woman, the joker, and soon as the legendary designer, Paolo Gucci. Has anyone ever looked this fine in a blood-covered shirt? We think not.
Dinosaurs
Many of you didn’t grow up watching the Dinosaurs, and it shows. This was the backbone of our rebellions streaks and the blueprint for our current sarcastic state. We basically only drew the line at hitting our dads with a frying pan screaming, “Not the Mama!”
These animatronic dinosaurs also taught us a lot about climate change and our relationship with the earth, and the show’s untimely ending was eerily foreboding to the world’s current situation. We just have one question about this image: would these be considered robot fossils?
Pan’s Labyrinth
This is one of those movies we wish we never watched as a child so that we can watch it without prejudice as an adult. It is as close to perfect as any movie can come! Adventure, intrigue, drama, suspense, all coming at you at once.
Fauno, an unapologetically neutral character, kept us guessing, but we do feel sorry for this poor guy’s lunch! We would much rather sit at the Pale Man’s table than have what he is having. Surely Coca-Cola can’t be good for magical creatures?
The Lighthouse
Robert Eggers has never shied away from alternative filmmaking, but his film The Lighthouse took things to a whole new level. The film is certainly made for the mainstream audience, but an image like this might fool you into thinking it is in the ranks of Aquaman.
You have been warned! William Dafoe’s slow descent into madness is not for the faint of heart, and this film will take you on a physiological rollercoaster set to the tune of a sea shanty. A few R-Pat fans might have gotten quite the fright if they were expecting in the lines of Twilight.
The Passion of the Christ
It is easy to forget that Mel Gibson directed the religious epic “The Passion of the Christ,” especially considering his anti-Semitic past and overall bad-boy demeanor. Surprisingly though, some people were able to separate director and film and appreciate the movie for its content, albeit it, controversial.
But this image just cracks us up—two worlds colliding in one photo. If you think about it, if Jesus were to visit Hollywood, he would probably visit someone like Morgan Freeman or Betty White way before he would consider visiting Mel Gibson!
It
Even killer clowns are allowed to have off days. And what is a more sorrowsome sight than a sad clown, even if he is a monster on the inside. We kind of want to give poor Pennywise a balloon to try and cheer him up.
Considering it took 3 hours to apply Tim Curry’s make-up every day, we can’t blame him for looking a bit on the downside. That’s a long time to sit in the chair! But if you think that’s long, it actually took four hours to do Curry’s make-up for The Rocky Horror Picture Show!