7 Greatest Movie Secrets You Never Even Thought About

Filmmaking is both an art and a technical skill, especially with the use of special effects. Since the early days of movies, filmmakers have developed secret tricks that make films seem magical. Some of these tricks have leaked into the real world. Join us as we uncover some behind-the-scenes secrets that filmmakers might not want you to know.

Children in horror films have no idea what is really happening in the movie.

In horror movies with kids, a smart trick is used to keep them from getting scared while filming. The scenes are set up so that the children can play with toys or talk to adults, and the scary parts are added later in editing, like spooky backgrounds or scary sounds. The kids don’t realize what’s happening because everything looks normal during filming. For example, in The Shining, the young actor didn’t know he was in a horror movie until he was 16.

Actors with a “smartphone face” look out of place in historical movies, but filmmakers often turn a blind eye to it.

Have you ever noticed how much out of place some actors look in historical movies? They don’t «fit in» the period because they look too modern, which is sometimes the result of cosmetic procedures (whether it’s fillers, Botox, or just a trendy eyebrow shape). These actors are usually said to have a «smartphone face» because they are immediately recognized as the people of the 21st century. This effect is often caused by perfect pearly white teeth or veneers.

For example, Blake Lively, who starred in The Age of Adaline, doesn’t particularly look like a woman who lived in the 1930s, although many people believe that she has the type of beauty of the Golden Age of Hollywood. On the other hand, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, Elle Fanning, Florence Pugh fit into costume dramas perfectly.

Anya Taylor-Joy has also appeared in several historical films, for example The Witch or Emma. However, some Internet users believe that the actress doesn’t look modern because she actually looks like she’s arrived from the future.

Ben Affleck in Shakespeare in Love doesn’t look like a man who lived in the 16th century at all. And Timothy Chalamet certainly doesn’t look like King Henry V. On the other hand, James McAvoy perfectly “fits” in the 18th century, while playing in the movie Becoming Jane.

Romantic scenes are typically shot last during filming.

Even seasoned actors often find nude scenes intimidating. To alleviate any discomfort, these more intimate scenes are scheduled at the end of production, allowing the actors to establish a rapport with their co-stars beforehand. On set, various measures are taken to ensure the actors’ comfort, including a reduced technical staff, minimal lighting, limited presence to only those involved in the scene, rehearsals in clothing, and a deliberate decision to make them the concluding scenes in the shooting schedule.

It smells bad on the set.

To prevent fading of fabrics, they don’t usually wash costumes during filming. An actor can wear the same shirt for as long as necessary. To keep costumes fresh, they simply spray them with an alcohol containing mixture. And during the lunch break, actors are given something to cover their clothes, so they don’t stain them.

Vintage costumes require a special attention. The actress who played in the series Downton Abbey revealed that everyone smelled terrible during the filming because the clothes were not washed to preserve their authenticity. Everyone was given special pads for the armpits, which absorbed the sweat. At least, the pads were washed from time to time.

Actors have to work in all weathers.

When the film director of Titanic, James Cameron, was shooting the scene where Jack is rescuing Rose, he noticed that the hairs on Kate Winslet’s arms stood on end from the cold, and the light was catching this. So, Cameron stopped filming and asked to get Kate’s arms shaved.

The food is almost never real.

Try to pay attention to any scene where characters are sitting at the dinner table covered with food. If you look closely, you can see that the actors don’t actually eat because most of the food is just fake.

Even the food in the most iconic movies, like Harry Potter, where the famous Great Hall, is associated with delicious meals. At first the food was real, but then, as Warwick Davis, who played both Professor Flitwick, once revealed: «The next day, they go, ’Don’t eat the food’ ... you just pretend now, it’s been there all night. The fourth day, you could smell the Great Hall before you got in it. The food was the same food and it had quite an amazing smell.» Subsequently, in later film productions, the prop-making department opted to create replicas using resin by casting molds of frozen foods to capture their likeness.

Extras don’t really talk.

Extras that you see in the background in movies and TV shows often say meaningless bundles of words like “peas, corns, and carrots” or “a pink and purple elephant.” And if they are required to speak, they should whisper. For the most part, directors ask extras to use slightly more exaggerated body language to show a conversation is taking place.

Filmmakers weave magic on the screen, creating captivating worlds and unforgettable stories. However, even in the most iconic movies, mistakes can slip through. We, as eagle-eyed viewers, not only eagerly spot these subtle blunders, but also try to catch tiny details that make the plot even deeper.