How the film "The Green Mile" was filmed: footage from filming and 23 interesting facts about the film (20 photos)

"The Green Mile" is included in the top best films of various reputable film databases.





David Morse, Michael Clarke Duncan and Tom Hanks

1. Stephen King loved to insert his home state of Maine into his novels, but in The Green Mile the action takes place in Louisiana.

2. Actor Doug Hutchenson, who played the thieves and vile security guard Percy in the book, was only 21 years old, while the actor himself was almost 40 years old. For the sake of this role, the actor cheated, telling the director that he was just over 30.



Doug Hutchenson who played Percy

Darabont learned that Doug was almost 40 years old much later, when the actor auditioned for a role in the film “The Salton Sea,” which was produced by Frank Darabont himself. That's when Frank saw Doug's driver's license and was shocked at his age.





Michael Clarke Duncan and Doug Hutchenson

3. According to the book and film, John Coffee was an unrealistically huge man who was much taller than the average person. In order to bring this to life on screen, the actor had to walk along a separate hill built for him, and he was most often filmed from a certain angle.



In order to emphasize his size, a small copy of the bed and a small model of the electric chair were made especially for him.

Yes, actor Michael Clarke Duncan was actually a very tall man (the actor died in 2012), and his height was 196 centimeters. But he wasn't the tallest actor on set.



For example, the height of actor David Morse, who played the guard Brutus "Beast" Howell, is 193 centimeters, and the height of actor James Cromwell, who played the prison warden, is 201 centimeters.

4. Michael Clarke Duncan got his role thanks to Bruce Willis. When Bruce learned that the film "The Green Mile" required a big guy with a kind heart, he immediately remembered his friend Michael, with whom he starred in the film "Armageddon."

By the way, just a couple of years later, Bruce Willis and Michael Clarke Duncan will star together again in the film “The 9 Yards.”

5. Tom Hanks was supposed to play the lead role (Andy Dufresne) in the film "The Shawshank Redemption". But due to being busy filming Forrest Gump, he had to give up this role.



However, fate gave him another chance, and he played the lead role in the film "The Green Mile", which was also directed by Frank Darabont, and which was also based on the novel by Stephen King, and which also tells about the events taking place in prison. But the role was originally intended for John Travolta, but he refused.

Although, it is worth noting that Hanks was not eager to play in The Green Mile. But he felt he had offended Frank Darabont by turning down the role of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption. Therefore, he decided in this way to make amends for his guilt.

6. Tom Hanks was a rather thin man, so for his role in the film “The Green Mile” he had to gain 10 kilograms. But the most interesting thing is that for the next film, Cast Away, Tom Hanks had to shed even more.



7. The film "The Green Mile" contains many historical inaccuracies and film mistakes. For example, electrocution in Louisiana was introduced only in 1941, while the film takes place in the 30s. You can read more about other film mistakes and inconsistencies in the film “The Green Mile” in one of my previous articles.



But be that as it may, not even the most powerful blunder will make this film worse. This is truly a masterpiece that everyone should watch.

8. According to the book, the film takes place in 1932, while in the film we are talking about 1935. And there was a reason for this. The director wanted John Coffee to watch the musical film Top Hat, which was released in 1935.



9. Mister Jingles the mouse was played by as many as 15 mice. Moreover, some of them were females, not males.

By the way, all filming with mice took place under the control of the Animal Welfare Society. They personally ensured that not a single mouse was harmed during filming. Well, in some moments where it was impossible to use a live mouse, computer graphics or props were used.

10. John Kofi got his name for a reason. As Stephen King said, this name is a reference to Jesus Christ, since both names have the same initials. But it's even deeper. In fact, that was the name of the reverend Stephen King met in Boston.



By the way, for the same reason John Connor got his name in the film “Terminator 2”. It's all about the initials. You can read more about names that have hidden meanings in our separate article on our second channel “Kinostalgia”. I'm sure you'll find it interesting.

11. The film does not mention why exactly Edward DeLacroix received capital punishment. This is probably why the audience was so sorry when Percy deliberately did not wet the sponge during the execution, which is why Edward died a painful death. But the book details that DeLaCroix was a murderer, rapist and arsonist.



12. John Kofi's tears in the frame during the execution were the most real. To squeeze out a tear, actor Michael Clarke Duncan recalled how his father abandoned his family when Michael was still a child.



13. It was originally planned that Tom Hanks would play Paul Edgecombe as an old man. Moreover, several scenes were even filmed with Hankosm in makeup. But when the creators realized that it had turned out somehow poorly, they decided not to bother, but to invite an older actor.



Tom Hanks in "old" makeup

14. Remember the moment when John Kofi grabbed Paul by the groin to cure his illness? There is a funny story connected with this moment. Michael Clarke Duncan really didn't want to grab his friend's groin, so Tom Hanks put an empty bottle in his pants. After that, the embarrassment disappeared.

15. Doug Hutchenson, who played Percy, was given squeaky shoes to make his character even more annoying.



Doug Hutchenson and Sam Rockwell

16. Remember the moment when Wild Bill spits out his chewed chocolate in Howell's face? In fact, a small cannon was created for this scene that shot chocolate into the actor's face. But the most interesting thing is that actor David Morse was allergic to chocolate, and the brown substance got to him everywhere he could.



David Morse as Brutus "Beast" Howell

17. Surely you remember that John Kofi was sentenced to death for the murder of two girls, which he did not commit. The real killer was Wild Bill. In fact, in the book this scene looked even more creepy, since the villagers found the girls next to John completely naked, which seemed to hint that they were not just killed. But the creators considered that this would be too much, so any hints of pedophilia were removed.



Well, it’s also worth noting that the girls’ corpses were played by mannequins, not young actresses. Well, that's right.

18. During the filming of the film, Stephen King asked to be tied to the electric chair in order to feel what those sentenced to death felt. According to him, it was not the most pleasant feeling.



19. With a budget of $90 million (60 million for filming, 30 million for marketing), the film grossed $286.8 million worldwide.



20. The film "The Green Mile" was presented in 4 Oscar nominations, but, unfortunately. He never managed to take a single figurine. It's a pity.

21. The prison for the film was created from scratch, strictly according to the description of Stephen King himself. This prison, as planned by the master of horror, was supposed to evoke fear, despondency, rejection and sadness.



22. When Sam Rockwell was jumping on his bunk in a fit of animal joy (or rather, his character Bill), the actor actually broke the bunk.

23. Members of the film crew said that after Wild Bill's water treatments, actor Sam Rockwell caught a bad cold, as he was wet and the room was cool. But the actor himself assures that nothing of the kind happened, and that they poured fairly warm water on him.



Sam Rockwell