#FridayFunFacts - Silver Screen Edition

Going to the movies is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

A chance to leave behind the real world for a couple of hours and indulge in some on screen fantasy.

This week’s edition of #funfacts is dedicated to the ‘silver screen.’

This affectionate term for films comes from the early days of cinema when the screens were painted with a reflective, metallic surface to help better reflect the projected images.  

‘Trailers’ are so called because they used to be shown at the end of the main movie. Now they are played beforehand but the original name has stuck.

Getting the right reaction from an actor isn’t always easy and so some directors resort to sly methods.

To get a believable scream in the movie Die Hard, Alan Rickman was dropped a second early for his fall from the Nakatomi Plaza. During the chest burster scene in Alien, the actors didn’t know what was about to happen, so their absolutely horrified reactions are real.

Actors themselves will go to extraordinary lengths to make their performances more believable.

To give the desired ‘wasted’ look for his scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Charlie Sheen stayed awake for 48 hours. His father Martin Sheen took method acting one step further. Reportedly, he was read his last rites by a priest on the set of Apocalypse Now after suffering a heart attack.

They are also known for changing their names to better suit the screen. For example, Tom Cruise’s full name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. Perhaps the award for the most overblown name goes to an actor called Rip Torn. His real name is, in fact, Elmore Rual Torn Jr.

Any other movie related fun facts that you’re aware of? Please share them in the comments.