5/26/2016

5 Hard to believe "facts" about "The Shawshank Redemption"

1) Morgan Freeman isn't actually in the movie - Frank Darabont kept the actor strung out with cocaine, benzos and hookers for most of the filming, and even when on set, he was locked in a supply closet with alcohol Popsicle and molly. The character of Red was actually played by G-d incarnate, who helped Darabont gaslight Freeman into believing he had actually played the part.

2) Tim Robbins was sexually assaulted during filming - Stephen King made many deals where he sold the rights to his stories for one dollar so aspiring film makers could develop his work on the cheap, as long as they had something else to trade to the King of Horror as well, and Tim Robbins needed the work.
He likes the flesh

3) The scene where Bogs was beaten by Captain Hadley wasn't simulated - Darabont had thought to change the Bogs - Dufresne relationship into a reluctant courtship, but Mark Ralston had eaten Clancy Browns lunch on the day they were to shoot his home coming scene, but was so overcome with rage when he saw Ralstons smug face that he beat him within an inch of his life, while Darabont cheered him on off stage and kept the cameras rolling despite growing revulsion and alarm, and ironically, if Browns father hadn't been a former congressman, Clancy himself would have gone to prison much like his character did.

4) Stephen King has a collection of hair and nail clippings from the cast and crew - Reportedly to maintain hygiene  and appearance, but really because he is a freak, Stephen King would clip the nails and hair of cast members while they slept during filming, even if they weren't sleeping on set. It was believed that it ended there, but it seems King entertains guests at his Maine residence with dolls he made with these materials and rodent bones.

5) Castle Rock Entertainment was founded to lure wayward teenagers into seclusion - Rob Riener and Stephen King used the production company as a lure for runaways looking to become actors, and the lighthouse in the emblem is based on the actual Maine lighthouse where Riener and King ended so many short lives.
When the sun sets, they start