Those little details that make already awesome movie performances that bit more amazing.
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00:00 From being thrown into the middle of an utterly insane stunt-heavy set piece at the last minute,
00:05 to having to pull off an entire movie shoot in just 48 hours.
00:09 Each of the following performances were already worthy of your admiration, but the ridiculous
00:14 truth behind what actually went into making them a reality only makes you appreciate them
00:18 that little bit more.
00:19 Gareth here from WhatCulture.com and here are 10 recent movie performances even more
00:24 impressive when you know the truth.
00:26 10. A last-minute helicopter scene keeps the cast on their toes - Ambulance
00:31 When signing up to appear in a flick helmed by the action-obsessed mind behind the likes
00:35 of the Transformers franchise and Armageddon, it's safe to assume that you'll wind up
00:39 being thrust into the middle of a pulsating, real-life stunt-heavy sequence before your
00:43 time on set is over.
00:44 But in the case of Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, when working on Michael Bay's
00:49 most recent project by the name of Ambulance, the duo were very much under the impression
00:53 they were done for the day, before arguably one of the thriller's most intense action
00:57 scenes was suddenly dropped in their laps.
00:59 With both stars on their way home in the titular vehicle to get their own clothes on, the barmy
01:03 director radioed for the two sharps to spin around and head to the LA river.
01:07 Upon showing up to the locale, Bay would reveal to his actors, "I have an idea.
01:11 I have two helicopters."
01:13 And before long, Gyllenhaal was hanging out the side of said ambulance, as Bay improvised
01:17 and entirely shot a gripping back-and-forth between the airborne and grounding vehicles
01:21 in just two and a half hours.
01:24 Madness.
01:25 9.
01:26 The entire film was shot in just two days.
01:28 Boiling Point For those who haven't been treated to the
01:30 pressure cooker of a film that is Philip Barantini's tension-filled culinary nightmare Boiling
01:35 Point, the story centres on Stephen Graham's anxious yet charming head chef, Andy Jones,
01:40 as he navigates one of the busiest nights of the year and a kitchen full of combustible
01:44 elements.
01:45 But likely adding to the on-screen pressure and stress that helps make this one of the
01:49 most gripping dramas of recent times, was the fact that the entire process of shooting
01:52 this intense set of events was ultimately crammed into just two days.
01:57 Originally, the plan was to try and execute eight whole takes of the impressive single-shot
02:01 tale over the course of a still-ridiculous four days.
02:04 But when the pandemic hit, the production was forced to suddenly shut down, effectively
02:08 halving Barantini's scheduled shooting time for his finally-choreographed masterpiece.
02:12 It didn't matter, though, as the director was overjoyed to discover that the third take
02:16 of the film was utterly nailed.
02:18 Having to step into the shoes of one of the most iconic figures in musical theatre history,
02:29 in a remake of one of the most adored cinematic adaptations of all time, would likely be enough
02:34 to leave most humans resembling an anxious puddle in the corner of a movie set.
02:38 But taking that pressure-filled scenario up a few notches in the making of Steven Spielberg's
02:42 recent critically acclaimed spin on West Side Story, was the fact that Rachel Ziegler had
02:46 some rather high-profile front-row audience members when it came time for her to warble
02:50 Maria's legendary "I Feel Pretty" number.
02:53 In one of his three no-doubt jaw-dropping set visits, the immortal Bruce Springsteen
02:57 was present for Ziegler's live rendition of the song, with iconic composer Stephen
03:02 Sondheim - who actually wrote the lyrics for the number in question - also sitting alongside
03:06 Brucie for the Maria Starr's performance.
03:09 Understandably noting how she was starstruck to the point of not being able to go over
03:12 and say hello to the unmistakable icons, and to her all-time heroes, the whole experience
03:17 was enough to make Ziegler feel insanely nervous, never mind pretty.
03:20 7.
03:21 Pedro Pascal Wrecked 14 Prop Cars Without Getting Injured
03:24 The unbearable weight of massive talent.
03:27 Movie stunts are no joke, even when a star is only forced to take part in an action-packed
03:31 exchange just a few times in order to get the sequence in the can.
03:34 So you have to admire the fact that Pedro Pascal was very much game to be whacked into
03:38 by a moving prop car, a frankly absurd amount of times over the course of shooting one particularly
03:43 hilarious stunt.
03:45 Found within this year's ode to all things Nicolas Cage, the unbearable weight of massive
03:49 talent.
03:50 Perhaps even more amazingly, despite wrecking a grand total of 14 prop vehicles in the forging
03:54 of this car crash of a shot, Pascal was said to have gotten through the whole ordeal without
03:59 so much as a scratch on him.
04:01 According to the Mandalorian star himself, when replying to a tweet revealing his 14
04:05 wrecking exploits, he executed each and every take without messing up his hair.
04:09 But I still wouldn't recommend trying this acid trip at home.
04:11 6.
04:12 Austin Butler Lost Touch With Who He Was And Was Rushed To Hospital – Elvis
04:16 While the chance to appear in not only Baz Luhrmann's first feature film in almost a
04:20 decade, but one focusing on the life of arguably the most legendary rock and roll figure of
04:24 all time was clearly too tantalising an opportunity to turn down for Austin Butler.
04:29 The need to live up to this larger-than-life icon more than took a toll on the once-upon-a-time
04:33 in Hollywood star.
04:34 As Butler would recall to GQ, "Upon looking back at the sheer lengths he went to when
04:38 trying to delve into the mind of the king of rock and roll himself, Elvis Presley, you
04:42 can lose touch with who you actually are, and I definitely had that when I finished
04:46 Elvis, not knowing who I was."
04:48 And highlighting the frankly extreme levels of pressure he put on himself throughout his
04:52 gyrating work on the project, Butler would also reveal how his body ultimately broke
04:56 down the moment he finished up on the shoot, and that he was eventually diagnosed with
05:00 a virus that simulates appendicitis, before being bedridden for seven days.
05:05 5.
05:06 Plastic wrap took its toll on Paul Dano, the Batman
05:09 It was evident from the minute he signed on the dotted Batman line that Paul Dano would
05:14 put his heart and soul into making his Riddler a presence to remember.
05:17 But the actor soon found himself paying the price for going to rather extreme lengths
05:22 in order to authentically chill and disturb all who witnessed his Edward Nashton's many
05:26 Zodiac Killer-inspired antics.
05:28 As he'd eventually reveal to Entertainment Weekly, Dano struggled sleeping some nights
05:32 due to this particularly intense personality being a little hard to come down from.
05:37 Going further, the thorn in Robert Pattinson's bat's side would also admit how his idea
05:41 to completely wrap his head and body in plastic wrap, to highlight how the character would
05:45 have gone out of his way to avoid leaving any DNA evidence behind, eventually led to
05:49 his head unexpectedly throbbing due to the excessive heat being generated beneath.
05:54 Luckily, the crew later landed upon the idea of popping a few holes in the makeshift mask,
05:59 but Dano would still recommend skipping the cling wrap should you opt for a Riddler cosplay
06:03 this Halloween.
06:04 4.
06:05 Walker Scobell's dedication to Deadpool, The Adam Project
06:08 Walker Scobell's work as a highly believable younger version of Ryan Reynolds' Adam Reid
06:13 caught the attention of just about everybody in The Adam Project.
06:16 This largely inexperienced performer's ability to effectively capture the essence of his
06:20 older counterpart throughout was far from just a result of the youngster's undoubted
06:24 ability, however.
06:25 As revealed by director Sean Levy in a conversation with The Wrap, Scobell is actually very much
06:29 obsessed with Deadpool, to the point where the lad had reportedly been watching the rated-R
06:33 flick since he was seven, and could even recite the sequel from memory.
06:37 So by the time he was faced with having to replicate Reynolds' mannerisms on set, Scobell
06:41 was so clued up on how the merc-with-a-mouth actor would deliver just about any line of
06:45 dialogue that Levy was able to entirely trust his young star to produce improvised magic,
06:50 or unleash a newly forged line in precisely the way the real Ryan would without skipping
06:54 a damn beat.
06:55 3.
06:56 Bradley Cooper and Rooney Mara's real-life transformations, Nightmare Alley
07:00 The reality of an unprecedented pandemic gripping the globe left many big-screen projects on
07:04 ice until the world was in a safer place to continue.
07:07 But instead of simply wasting that time on the sidelines, Bradley Cooper used his six-month
07:11 enforced break in the middle of production on Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley to
07:15 add another dimension to his ever-present leading light of Stanton Carlyle.
07:19 With the back end of the feature largely being already in the can, Cooper decided that dropping
07:23 a whopping fifteen pounds would help his character appear younger in the earlier scenes, that
07:28 would eventually be filmed once they got back up and running.
07:30 Rooney Mara also underwent a rather drastic change during that extended absence from set,
07:35 with the Molly Cahill actor falling pregnant during the initial stint of filming, before
07:39 eventually giving birth during the break.
07:41 Then just one month on from bringing a child into the world, Mara epically picked right
07:46 back up where she left off.
07:47 2.
07:48 Benedict Wong breaks his ribs doing his own stunts
07:51 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
07:53 It turns out that wanting to very much throw yourself into the middle of the multiversal
07:57 violence regularly served up in Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange sequel, as revealed by fellow
08:01 Benedict during a recent interview talking all things Multiverse of Madness, the current
08:05 Sorcerer Supreme star was actually left nursing four broken ribs.
08:10 On the back of having his body slammed into an object during a particularly gnarly stunt
08:14 on the shoot.
08:15 And while it wasn't clarified as to precisely which moment resulted in this nasty collection
08:19 of injuries for the Ecclesbone sensation, it does add some additional weight to the
08:23 many moments you see Wong's Wong thrown around the likes of Camartage and Matt Wundergaar
08:27 at various points in the flick.
08:29 The fact Wong himself hasn't even uttered a word about said broken bones either, tells
08:33 you all you need to know about the level of quietly tough thespian we're dealing with
08:36 here too.
08:37 But seriously, maybe leave it to the pros guys, yeah?
08:39 1.
08:40 Jet Flying and that football scene weren't a piece of cake.
08:43 Top Gun Maverick Any actor expecting a breezy few months at
08:46 the office, upon agreeing to appear in a Tom Cruise-starring Top Gun sequel, clearly hadn't
08:51 done their homework.
08:52 And sure enough, the relentless aviation training and all-round intensity of the shoot in general
08:57 more than did a number on a few of the talented cast members.
09:00 Miles Teller in particular was left feeling worse for wear on the back of being taken
09:03 up in a jet for a sortie.
09:05 After realising he'd broken out in hives, blood analysis would show that the rooster
09:09 actor actually possessed flame retardant, pesticide and jet fuel in his blood.
09:14 Away from the impressive airborne action evidently battering the cast, the youngsters tasked
09:18 with paying homage to the first film's topless volleyball scene were unexpectedly put through
09:22 the ringer too.
09:23 On the back of seemingly getting their shredded-up beach football sequence completely wrapped
09:27 up, the likes of Glenn Powell and co all indulged in many a beer and milkshake to celebrate.
09:32 Fast forward a week and Cruise soon felt the footage was not up to scratch, forcing the
09:36 anxiety-ridden actors to dive straight back into the gym, day and night, to prepare for
09:40 the glistening sequence again.
09:42 You're a cruel man, Mr Cruise, but my God is that film epic.
09:45 And that's our list!
09:46 Know of any other recent movie performances even more impressive when you know the truth?
09:50 Let us know all about them in the comments section right down below and do not forget
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09:56 Also if this kind of thing is your bag then head on over to whatculture.com and find some
09:59 more incredible articles just like the one this video you're watching right this second
10:03 is based on.
10:04 I've been Gareth from WhatCulture.com, thank you very much for clicking on this lovely
10:07 video today and hopefully I will see your lovely faces very, very soon.