Random Behind Scenes Of Annie Wilkes Hobbling Paul Sheldon In 'Misery' (12 items)

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  (#1) Annie Does More Than Hobble Paul In The Novel

  While Misery is a generally faithful adaptation of Stephen King's novel, there are actually some pretty huge differences between the film and the book when it comes to the most iconic scene.

  In the movie, Annie uses a sledgehammer to brutally mangle Paul's legs. While that's pretty scarring already, the book takes the horror even further. In that version, Annie actually uses a fire ax to sever both of Paul's legs at the ankle. That's not all - she then grabs a blowtorch and cauterizes the wounds herself. 
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  (#2) The Original Director Pulled Out Of The Project Because He Couldn't Bring Himself To Film The Scene

  The gruesome content in Misery was tough for a lot of people to get behind. This includes the original director of the film, George Roy Hill. Hill had been hired by producer Rob Reiner to direct the movie, but Hill had reservations about the "lopping scene." This was before the script had been changed to include the sledgehammer instead of the fire ax.

  Things had been going according to plan when Hill suddenly left the project. The film's screenwriter, William Goldman, claims that Hill simply could not bring himself to say "action" when it came to that particular scene. 
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  (#3) Screenwriter William Goldman Signed On To The Project Because Of The Scene

  While most people seemed to be rather squeamish about the ax sequence, screenwriter William Goldman found it exciting. In Goldman's book Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade, he describes how the scene was a total mindblower for him: "I could not f-ing believe it. I mean, I knew she wasn’t going to tickle him with a peacock feather, but I never dreamt such behavior was possible. And I knew I had to write the movie."

  He states that this particularly scene is what hooked him on the project and convinced him to adapt the story. 
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  (#4) Bette Midler Turned Down The Role Of Annie Because She Didn't Want To Perform The Scene

  While Kathy Bates manages to make disfiguring people look easy, not every potential actor had the stomach for the role. Bette Midler was offered a chance at the part, but she turned down the project because of this particular scene. In her own words, Midler said, "And Misery, I turned that down because I didn't want to saw someone's foot off, even though the role won an Oscar. It was stupid to say no to those pictures."

  Midler is referring to how the scene originally went in the book, but she has a point either way. It's hard to blame her for not wanting to viciously deform someone. While Midler would have certainly had a unique take on the character of Annie Wilkes, the stony severity of Bates perfectly suits Annie. 
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  (#5) Warren Beatty Passed On The Chance To Play Paul Because Of The Scene As Well

  James Caan took a remarkable turn as Paul Sheldon, but he wasn't the first actor in line for the role. Warren Beatty had been offered the part and was interested, except for that one scene where he would be brutally mutilated. According to Goldman, Beatty was open to the idea of filming the scene but was uncomfortable with the implications.

  In his mind, the scene was too traumatizing for the character to ever be the same again. His harsh thinking was that Sheldon would be a crippled loser for the rest of his life, which would make it impossible for the movie to have anything even remotely resembling a happy ending. 
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  (#6) A Ton Of High-Profile Actors Turned Down The Role Of Paul Sheldon

  It wasn't just Warren Beatty who turned down the chance to play Paul Sheldon. The filmmakers reached out to a number of high-profile actors, the majority of whom turned the film down outright. The list included names like Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Kevin Kline, Robert Redford, William Hurt, Michael Douglas, and Richard Dreyfuss.

  The role ultimately went to James Caan, and it helped revitalize his career. He had gone through an extremely rough period through the 1980s, and many believed his career was beyond salvation. That's likely why he was not as picky as other actors when it came to accepting the role of Paul Sheldon. He still had some choice words about the character, but the role did a lot to rehabilitate his career. 
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  (#7) Director Rob Reiner Ultimately Rewrote The Scene To Satisfy The Other Producers

  With so much backlash toward the foot-severing scene before production even started, Reiner felt like there was no choice but to rewrite the scene. He and producer Andrew Scheinman decided to take a crack at the scene. Reiner explained his reasoning in the DVD commentary for the film:

  We wanted Paul Sheldon at the end of this movie to emerge victorious over Annie Wilkes, and if he wound up without a foot, even if he winds up beating her and she [perishes], then he maybe paid too high a price for that. Most of the people who have seen this movie say it was pretty darn painful to look at, so I don’t think we compromised it too much.
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  (#8) Screenwriter William Goldman Was Furious That The Scene Had Been Altered Without His Consent

  Reiner and Scheinman came to the conclusion that they had to alter the scene, but they did so without considering screenwriter William Goldman. He was not included in the decision-making process or in the rewriting process, so it was a surprise to him when he found that the scene had been changed.

  Goldman was initially furious that he hadn't been consulted, especially since this particular scene had been the thing that sold him on adapting the novel in the first place. He had no idea that people would be so unwilling to film the scene as written, and the sudden change hurt him. 
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  (#9) Filming The Scene Was Tough For Everyone, Especially Kathy Bates

  While Kathy Bates is completely believable in the role of Annie Wilkes, she is much less fond of aggressive behavior then her onscreen persona. James Caan has gone on the record about Bates's struggle with the scene, saying that she "literally was crying" during production. As wonderful as an actress as she is, Bates found it difficult to separate herself from the cruel acts that she was portraying.

  Barry Sonnenfeld, the film's cinematographer, recalled, "The hobbling scene was kind of horrible for all of us. For Rob, you know, anything where an actor doesn’t talk, it’s like a huge special effect. So I remember he was sort of in a bad mood about having to do it."
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  (#10) The Effects Team Made Sure The Fake Leg Looked Real

  There's nothing quite like watching a man have his ankles shattered by a sledgehammer, and it took an astounding amount of work to make that happen on screen. A visual effects team was hired to do much of the makeup and special effects for the movie, including the fateful hammer scene.

  To make the scene seem as real as possible, the team made a gelatin mold of Caan's legs and created a wire skeleton to put underneath. The wire allowed the gelatin legs to bend in an unusual manner while still holding form after they were hit. 
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  (#11) Fishing Line Was Used To Make The Legs Bend At Awkward Angles

  The prosthetic legs were initially very successful, but the rigors of filmmaking began to take a toll on them. The scene was filmed so many times that the wire skeleton began to lose some of its shape. After many hits, the wire became flexible and would flop and wiggle in a ridiculous way.

  To compensate for the weakened structure, the effects team stitched a bit of fishing line through the feet. After a foot would get hit, a team member would pull the fishing line taut so that it would hold it's unnatural position. This was no easy task, as the timing had to be just right in order for the effect to work. 
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  (#12) Bates Joked About The Scene In Her Oscar Acceptance Speech

  It might be hard to believe that Kathy Bates had never starred in a Hollywood film before Misery, especially considering that she won an Oscar for the role. She had previously been known only in the world of Broadway, yet she went on to beat titans like Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, who was nominated that year for Pretty Woman.

  During her acceptance speech, she made a joke aimed at co-star James Caan: "I would like to thank Jimmy Caan, and apologize publicly for the ankles."

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