Movie fans often know interesting behind-the-scenes facts about their favorite films. Yet some facts about iconic movies are so obscure that not many people know them. Here are 17 strange facts about famous movies you may not know.

1. Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because he had made “that disgusting movie Psycho”

Mr. Walt Disney himself hated the movie Psycho so much that he refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland for literally any movie. Wild!

2. Ryan Gosling was cast as Noah in The Notebook because the director wanted someone “not handsome”

Before Ryan Gosling was a Barbie dreamboat, people knew him most from The Notebook. However, he was actually only cast for that movie because of his lack of handsomeness. That's… interesting. 

3. James Cameron Changed a Scene for the 3D Re-Release of Titanic

Did you know James Cameron changed the scene where Rose is lying on a piece of driftwood in the middle of the ocean in Titanic for the film's re-release on the 100th anniversary of the tragedy?

Cameron claims he received a snarky letter from pop astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson, complaining that the night sky depicted in this film was historically inaccurate, as the star field is not what Rose would have seen in the Atlantic Ocean that night. Cameron, known as a pedantic perfectionist in the industry, asked Tyson to send him the correct starfield for April 15, 1912, at 4:20 a.m. So he did, and that's what appears in the re-released version of the film.

4. The Creators of The Boy in The Striped Pajamas Purposely Cast Children Without Knowledge of the Holocaust

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a film about a child unaware that the Jewish boy he befriends and regularly meets up with at a fence is a prisoner in a concentration camp during World War II. Since the boy was to play an innocent child who was ignorant of the horrors going on around him, the filmmakers intentionally cast children with minimal knowledge of the Holocaust to ensure the portrayal of innocence was genuine.

5. A Pizza Planet Truck Makes a Cameo in Every Pixar Movie

Yes, a Pizza Planet truck has appeared in every Pixar movie originating with Toy Story! Well, almost every Pixar movie, excluding The Incredibles. What is the importance of this truck? It's an easter egg that serves as an inside joke between the animators from their early days at the studio.

When Pixar was starting out, the team often ordered pizza from a nearby restaurant called “Pizza Planet” as they worked long hours on their early films. The truck is a nod to this shared experience and a way to honor the company's humble beginnings. The Pizza Planet truck is a fun way for Pixar to connect their movies and create a shared universe. It also allows eagle-eyed viewers to spot the truck and feel like they are in on a secret.

6. The Real Frank Abagnale Jr. Appears in Catch Me if You Can

What's in a name? Sometimes, more than meets the eye. Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can is based on the true story of how con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. posed as a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer — and cashed millions of dollars in fraudulent checks, all before his 21st birthday.

The film depicts the continuous chase after Abagnale Jr. by FBI agent Carl Hanratty, who is tasked with tracking him down and bringing him into custody. Speilberg cast the real Abagnale as a French policeman who helps the movie's Abagnale (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) into a police car. You can catch his name in the end credits.

7. The Letter “V” Is Hidden in Every Frame of V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta took its depiction of the letter “v” very seriously. For one, the letter is visually represented in nearly every frame throughout the movie. Take a still at any point in the film, and you'll notice a book in the shape of a V, a cut in the shape of this letter, or objects or fireworks taking this form. 

8. Leonardo DiCaprio Cut His Hand in This Django Unchained Scene

There's a scene in Django Unchained where Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Calvin Candie, becomes angry and slams his hand on a table, breaking a glass and injuring his hand. DiCaprio really did shatter the glass, cutting his hand in the process, but he stayed in character and continued the scene despite the injury. Director Quentin Tarantino stated in interviews that he was so impressed by DiCaprio's commitment to the scene that he decided to keep it in the film's final cut. The moment where DiCaprio wipes his blood on Kerry Washington's face was also improvised.

9. Is There a Hidden Tribute to Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight Rises

In The Dark Knight Rises, the inauguration of Batman's statue is precisely framed, and the characters are positioned to resemble the Joker's face. 

This scene is filmed from a bird's eye view, where the spiral staircases represent the Joker's hair, the seating arrangements of the onlookers represent his eyes and mouth, and the Batman statue in the middle is his nose. Fans believe this is an attempt to pay tribute to Heath Ledger and is an homage to his incredible performance, though this has never been confirmed by Christopher Nolan.

10. The Easter Egg “A113” Appears in Disney/Pixar Films as a Nod to Future Animators

Just as the Pizza Planet truck is a common easter egg that appears in Pixar films, so is the sequence of letters and numbers “A113.” This is the classroom number at the California Institute of Arts, used for first-year graphic design and animation students. This is where many animators at Pixar, Disney, and other studios were first taught about animation. As a nod to them and the animation community, A113 is a symbol commonly appearing in Disney and Pixar films.

11. Brandon Lee Was Killed While Filming a Scene in The Crow

In 1993, Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee and the lead in The Crow, was accidentally shot and killed while filming a scene that depicted his character getting shot by a gang member.

The prop gun used in the scene was supposed to fire blanks, but due to the malfunction, a dummy cartridge that had been left in the barrel was dislodged and struck Lee in the abdomen with force. Despite being rushed to the hospital and undergoing multiple surgeries, Lee died from his injuries just days before filming wrapped.

12. Isla Fisher Almost Drowned While Filming a Scene in Now You See Me

Now You See Me is considered a light-hearted, fun, playful comedy about magicians. However, an accident on set paints a darker side of the filming process. Isla Fisher, who played an escape artist and one of the illusionist members of The Four Horsemen, was filming a scene where her character becomes trapped in a tank of water.

During filming, Fisher became trapped in a tank of water and was unable to escape. She reportedly tried to alert crew members, but they thought she was still acting and didn't realize she was in distress until it was too late. Fortunately, a team of divers quickly intervened and rescued Fisher before she drowned. She was taken to the hospital and treated for injuries sustained during the incident. 

13. The Scene Where Mia Wallace Was Revived in Pulp Fiction Was Filmed in Reverse

One of the most iconic scenes in Pulp Fiction is when Mia Wallace overdoses in Vincent Vega's apartment, requiring resuscitation with an adrenaline shot to the heart. The scene where Vincent Vega stabs Wallace in the heart with the needle is shot in reverse for safety reasons, so you're actually seeing him pull the needle out of her, but it's played backward.

14. The Security Guard in the Watergate Scene of Forrest Gump Was the Real Guard Who Broke the Nixon Scandal

Among all the historical references in Forrest Gump, there's a scene that shows people breaking into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Headquarters at the Watergate Office, depicting the Watergate Scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Gump witnesses these people breaking into the DNC from another building and calls the building's security to inform them. The guard that answers the phone says, “Security, Frank Wills.” This was the real guard on duty that night in 1972 who discovered the break-in. 

15. James Cameron Is the One Who Drew Rose as “One of Your French Girls”

The infamous scene in Titanic where Rose asks Jack to “draw me like one of your French girls” was drawn by James Cameron. That's who you see sketching Rose's body and whose hands appear in this scene. Kate Winslet wore a flesh-colored bodysuit that was later removed in post-production and replaced with the drawing Cameron had created.

16. Fight Club Foreshadowed Tyler Durden's Split Identity in This Early Scene

At the beginning of the film, after his apartment blows up, the Narrator calls Tyler Durden from a payphone, but he doesn't pick up. He then heads out of the phone booth when the phone rings. He turns to the phone, and just before picking it up, there's a quick close-up shot of the phone. Looking closely, you can see text on the sign above the phone that reads. “No incoming calls allowed,” which implies that Tyler couldn't have called him, and it was only in his mind.

17. Ben Affleck and David Fincher Came to a Creative Standstill Over This Minute Detail in Gone Girl

The thriller Gone Girl almost came to a halt during filming because of a creative dispute between the film's director David Fincher and lead actor, Ben Affleck — over a baseball cap. Fincher wanted Affleck's character to wear a New York Yankees baseball cap in one scene. Affleck, a fan of the Boston Red Sox, reportedly did not want to wear the rival team's hat, but Fincher insisted that it was important for the character's development.

The film even shut down for four days over this. Affleck reportedly said, “David, I love you, I would do anything for you, but I will not wear a Yankees hat. I just can't. I can't wear it because it's going to become a thing, David. I will never hear the end of it. I can't do it.” It was ultimately resolved when Affleck agreed to wear a New York Mets cap instead.

Source: Reddit.