Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'The Rock'
- 1
When The Film Ran Over Schedule, Sean Connery Saved Michael Bay During A Profane Meeting With Disney Execs
Because of all the logistics involved, it isn't uncommon for action movies to run behind schedule and/or over budget. The Rock was no different. Since it was only Michael Bay's second film, the executives at Disney rode him pretty hard when production ran two days behind.
After telling Sean Connery about the situation, the star offered to help. Bay invited Connery to a meeting with the execs. As Bay recounts it, his star walked in, looked at the suits, and said, "This boy is doing a good job, and you’re living in your Disney F*cking Ivory Tower, and we need more f*cking money!"
That was all it took to convince the studio brass to back off.
Interesting anecdote? - Photo:
2Director Michael Bay Was ‘Terrified’ Of Directing Acting Legend Sean Connery
Even the most seasoned directors had reason to be nervous directing Sean Connery. The talented actor was known for being opinionated and for not suffering fools gladly. Michael Bay had the potentially unenviable luck of directing the legendary star on only his second film. Needless to say, Bay was terrified.
He told The Hollywood Reporter:
I was young, dumb, doing my second movie, The Rock. I had heard he was notoriously tough on directors. I was terrified when I gave him my first direction: "Uh, Sean, can you please do that less charming." He said, "Sure, boy!" "Boy" was the nickname he gave me.
From there, the two worked together with no apparent problems.
Interesting anecdote?- 3
General Hummel’s Character Was Based In Part On A '60 Minutes' Episode
The Rock's villain, General Hummel, is unusual in the action genre because his heinous actions have a noble motivation behind them. He threatens to launch rockets containing nerve agents at San Francisco unless the government ponies up $100 million. He wants to distribute that money to the families of Marines who perished on a clandestine mission he commanded.
Producer Don Simpson came up with General Hummel based on an episode of 60 Minutes that he watched. The show featured a report on how the US government had repeatedly refused to acknowledge soldiers who gave their lives in undercover overseas missions. Simpson was also inspired by the memoirs of Col. David H. Hackworth, a harsh critic of US planning during the Vietnam War.
Those influences were combined to make Hummel a non-traditional villain - someone the audience could empathize with on some level.
Interesting anecdote? - 4
Alcatraz Island, A National Park, Couldn’t Be Shut Down For Filming, So The Crew Had To Accommodate Tourists
Michael Bay felt strongly that the feel of Alcatraz could not be recreated on a sound stage. He wanted to film at the actual location. Disney went along with the plan, and arrangements were made for the cast and crew to film the movie on the island.
There was just one little catch. Alcatraz is classified as a national park, meaning it can't be closed down. As such, the production crew had to accommodate groups of tourists wandering around, rubbernecking at them, as well as the prison itself.
Interesting anecdote? - 5
Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down The Nicolas Cage Role And Regretted It
The Rock would have looked quite different had producer Don Simpson had his way. According to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, he was originally offered a starring role in the film.
According to the actor, Simpson paid him a visit one day with 85 pages of the script in his hand. He also appeared to be more than a bit under the influence. After looking at the pages, which had co-producer Jerry Bruckheimer's handwritten notes scrawled all over them, Schwarzenegger balked, telling Simpson:
I can't make a commitment based on what you're showing me here. You won't even let me read the script! Why don't you bake it some more, develop it some more, then we'll talk again.
Simpson, apparently displeased, moved on to Nicolas Cage.
Interesting anecdote? - 6
A British Intelligence Report Falsely Identified Iraqi WMDs Based On Inaccurate Portrayals Of Nerve Agents In The Film
It's usually pretty amusing when real life draws echoes from movies, although in the case of The Rock, that phenomenon was also a little disturbing. In 2002, a British intelligence report circulated. It referred to glass containers containing a nerve agent, supposedly in the possession of Iraqis.
Someone within MI6 was swift enough to notice not only that the account wasn't likely, but that it also resembled an inaccurate portrayal of nerve agents from the Nicolas Cage/Sean Connery film. The report said:
It was pointed out that glass containers were not typically used in chemical munitions; and that a popular movie [The Rock] had inaccurately depicted nerve agents being carried in glass beads or spheres.
Interesting anecdote? - 7
At The Premiere On Alcatraz Island, A Windsurfer Disrupted The Party With A Tux Under His Wetsuit
Movie premieres are always a hot ticket, with stars and other notable figures scrambling to get invites. The Rock's premiere was a little bit different in that - along with the invited guests - there was one notable party crasher.
The premiere, appropriately enough, was held on Alcatraz Island. Five hundred people were invited to attend. Because it was on an island, one enterprising individual, who was not given an official invitation, pulled up on a sailboard. When he stripped off his wetsuit, he had on a tuxedo underneath, all the better to blend in.
That windsurfer was 35-year-old Jeff Bunch. Hopefully, he had a good time, because he got into trouble for his little stunt. Bunch was charged with trespassing on federal land.
Interesting anecdote? - 8
Alcatraz Is An Avian Sanctuary, So A ‘Bird Lady’ Had To Follow The Crew Around To Ensure Bird Safety
Because of its unique place in history, the defunct Alcatraz went under the control of the US National Park Service after being closed down. It was designated as a bird sanctuary, meaning that the production crew had to be very ecologically minded while filming there.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer told interviewer Charlie Rose, "We had a bird lady. She followed Michael [Bay] around so he wouldn't shoot any of his guns [used in the film] near the birds. So we had to deal with that kind of situation."
It was a small price to pay for the opportunity to film at the authentic location.
Interesting anecdote? - 9
Nicolas Cage Improvised A Lot Of Dialogue And Came Up With The Idea That His Character Loved Vinyl Records
Good actors don't just emote on camera. One of the other things they bring to a project is a set of ideas for the character they're portraying. Nicolas Cage, in particular, is known for this.
On The Rock, he improvised a lot of his dialogue and also came up with one of Stanley Goodspeed's most memorable traits. According to the film's DVD commentary, Cage had developed a distaste for CDs and reverted back to vinyl records. He then suggested this same quirk be given to his character.
It's one of those tiny, little details that make a fictional character feel real.
Interesting anecdote? - 10
Michael Bay Had Lots Of Ideas For A Sequel That Never Happened
Despite making an impressive $134 million at the domestic box office, The Rock never received the sequel treatment. That's not to say that Michael Bay didn't have some follow-up ideas. In fact, one of his ideas was to have a sequel pick up right where the original left off. Bay said:
The sequel that I have in my mind for this movie is basically after Nic Cage is married to Carla, they drive off. Nic Cage has this microfilm of all this bad government confidential [info], like, who [took out] JFK? The government comes after Nic Cage with a vengeance. We’re talking out to [terminate]. It turns into more of a thriller. Nic Cage has nowhere to turn, because he’s been stabbed in the back by the government, and they’re after him.
Sadly, that idea never came to fruition.
Interesting anecdote? - 11
Michael Bay Found Out About Producer Don Simpson’s Passing By Mistake From Nicolas Cage
A tragedy occurred during production of The Rock when producer Don Simpson passed. It was an open secret in Hollywood that Simpson was battling severe dependency issues, and he suffered a fatal heart attack spurred by a dozen different substances he had in his system.
Jerry Bruckheimer - The Rock's co-producer and Simpson's longtime business partner - insisted the news be held from Michael Bay, so as not to disrupt the day's filming. Nicolas Cage accidentally revealed the news, though, after the director asked why he was having trouble concentrating.
Word of Simpson's passing hit Bay hard. He told Entertainment Weekly:
I sat down in my chair and freaked out. It was just tragic. We just [filmed] that one shot. And then I went into Jerry’s trailer and just sat there for a couple of hours.
Interesting anecdote? - Photo:
12Michael Bay Initially Turned Down The Film Because He Didn’t Think It Was ‘Serious’ Enough
The Rock was Michael Bay's second film. His first was Bad Boys, which became a global hit. Understandably, he had some trepidation about how to follow up that blockbuster. Should he go with another big action movie, or try to up the ante by going in a different direction?
When Jerry Bruckheimer suggested they re-team for The Rock, Bay was hesitant. In fact, in the DVD commentary, he reveals that he turned down the movie at first, feeling that "the story just wasn't serious enough for me."
With persistence, Bruckheimer convinced him the script could be whipped into something special, and Bay eventually signed on.
Interesting anecdote?- Photo:
13Many Writers Worked On The Script, Including Aaron Sorkin And Quentin Tarantino, Who Are Not Credited
The Rock provides an excellent example of how confusing the process of writing a movie can be. In fact, the film had so many writers that it ended up in a nasty arbitration process with the Writers Guild of America.
The original spec script was penned by David Weisberg and Douglas Cook. It was optioned by Disney for its Caravan Pictures label. Caravan brought in Mark Rosner to perform rewrites. When Michael Bay signed on, he hired Jonathan Hensleigh to work with him on completely revising the script.
During the arbitration process, in which the WGA determines who gets final screenplay credit, the glory went to Weisberg, Cook, and Rosner. To Bay's great displeasure, Hensleigh was left out in the cold. He wasn't the only one, though. Aaron Sorkin did some rewrites on The Rock without getting screen credit, as did Quentin Tarantino.
Interesting anecdote?- 14
Michael Bay Said It Felt Weird To Eat Catered Steak And Lobster On Alcatraz, Where Prisoners Never Had Such Food
Stars and directors are accustomed to being pampered on movie sets. That's especially true when it comes to food. The Rock highlighted just how absurd that pampering can be.
In the movie's DVD commentary, Michael Bay said that cast and crew were treated to catered steak and lobster while filming on Alcatraz Island. He added that it felt surreal dining on such luxurious food "where men were taken to their lowest existence."
Interesting anecdote?
