Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Some Fan-Favorite TV Shows From 2021
In 2021, numerous television series were binge-watched, loved, and cried over. From Squid Game to WandaVision, these shows were instant classics. But there are some fascinating behind-the-scenes tidbits fans might not know, like an emotional support alligator named Wally being the real-life model for Alligator Loki!
Keep reading because these behind-the-scenes facts are fascinating.
Practical Effects Were Used In WandaVision
While many of the effects in Wandavision were thanks to CGI, that wasn't the case for the first episode. In that episode, all of Wanda's magic was due to practical effects, such as wires, rods, and even puppeteering!
Director Matt Shakman said they studied the show Bewitched to see how they accomplished the magic flawlessly.
The Actors Had No Idea How Cruel Summer Was Going To End
The thriller series Cruel Summer was a mystery for more than just the fans. As it turns out, actresses Chiara Aurelia and Olivia Holt had no idea how the season was going to end either!
During an interview, Aurelia said, "I was kept in the dark under every circumstance...I think I found out the end probably around Episode 8."
Malcolm Spellman Has A Favorite The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Scene
Creator and writer of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier miniseries, Malcolm Spellman, says he has one favorite scene, and it was Sam's speech to the senator because he got to work with Anthony Mackie.
During an interview, the writer said, "I got to spend hours on the phone with Anthony to craft that in a way that hopefully felt very resonant and of-the-moment. It was my favorite scene to write because I got to spend time with Anthony on it."
Joshua Jackson Found Dr. Death To Hit Home In A Strange Way
During the premiere of Dr. Death, star Joshua Jackson watched the pilot with his wife and mother-in-law. He found out that his performance as the surgeon gone bad was truly terrifying because his mother-in-law literally walked out after the first surgery scene!
During an interview, Jackson said he viewed her horrified reaction as a good thing.
Sweet Tooth Used Practical Effects
While the Netflix series Sweet Tooth looks as though it uses all CGI, it doesn't. The show actually uses some practical effects, specifically when it comes to 10-year-old Gus's ears.
Puppeteer Grant Lehmann controlled the ears via a handheld transmitter to show Gus using his super-hearing. As the character is part-deer, it was very important to make the movements as realistic as possible.
Keegan-Michael Key Had A Difficult Time Not Dancing In Schmigadoon!
Keegan-Michael Key is very open about his love for musicals. So, filming the musical-hating Josh in Schmigadoon! was very difficult for the actor. Apparently, director Barry Sonnenfeld would stop filming during some of the musical scenes because Key would be dancing in the background.
According to Key, Sonnenfeld would stop the camera and say, "You can't dance to the music. You hate it."
Sandra Oh Was The First Choice For The Chair
In The Chair, actress Sandra Oh plays the role of Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, the main character in the comedy series. According to co-creator Amanda Peet, she'd always had Oh in mind for the role.
During an interview, Peet said, "Nothing against her co-stars, but she could have chemistry with a doormat. She was very sensual and very alive to her attractions."
The Shrink Next Door Stars Interviewed The Real-Life Victim
The Shrink Next Door stars Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd as patient Marty Markowitz and Dr. Isaac Herschkopf, respectively. The story goes, the latter exploited the former out of millions of dollars.
To get the story right, both Ferrell and Rudd went and interviewed Markowitz. However, they decided against getting the doctor's point of view.
Alligator Loki Was Modeled After A Real Alligator Named Wally
In the Disney+ series Loki, fans are introduced to numerous Loki variants, including Alligator Loki. While the design team could have modeled this particular Loki after any gator, they opted to use a real-life emotional support alligator named Wally.
The creator of Alligator Loki, Michael Waldron, has gone on record saying it was a silly idea, even though the fans loved it.
The Stepping Stone Game In Squid Game Was Real
One of the games the contestants played in the drama Squid Game was stepping stone, a heart-pounding game that had the players jumping from one glass stone to the next, hoping they didn't fall.
Amazingly, the set was real, and the actors were actually playing! The stones were made with tempered glass and were set almost five feet off the ground. Actress Kang Sae-byeok said it was "actually terrifying to film."
Barry Jenkins Spoke To A Focus Group Before Creating The Underground Railroad
Before he created The Underground Railroad, director Barry Jenkins wanted to speak to a focus group. A series adaptation of the Colson Whitehead novel, Jenkins wanted to ensure he didn't leave out key plot points and storylines.
So, Amazon brought together a group of people from Atlanta to discuss the story with Jenkins. The director said about 90% of the folks told him to tell the story in full and not to leave anything out.
Lawrence Davis Had Specific Instructions For Mare Of Easttown
Before filming Mare of Easttown, hairstylist Lawrence Davis had very specific instructions when it came to the look of all of the characters. He was told to make it look like they'd just rolled out of bed.
During an interview with Insider, Davis said, "When I came on board, I was told bed hair for everyone. ... Everybody was basically, you know, get up and go, and that was the whole feel of it. But I was basically told from day one: 'Bed hair,' and I had to ride with that."
Amrit Kaur Lost Her The Sex Lives of College Girls Role Three Times
When speaking to Decider, actress Amrit Kaur confessed to pretty much losing the role of Bela in The Sex Life Of College Girls three different times, all because of an O-1 visa mishap.
Thankfully, she was able to fast-track her visa and get her now-co-stars to vouch for her talent, telling the director there was no one else who could play the part.
Reservation Dogs Almost Didn't Happen
Sterlin Harjo, the co-creator of Reservation Dogs, had a lot of reservations about making the series. For starters, he wasn't in Hollywood. The second was he didn't think a series about Native American's was going to do well.
He decided it was worth a shot, though. He moved forward with the project, and the series now has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
For We Are Lady Parts, Faith Omole Learned To Play The Bass In Two Weeks
In the series We Are Lady Parts, Faith Omole plays the role of bass player Bisma. The thing is, Omole had no clue how to play the bass when she was offered the role two weeks before filming!
During an interview with NME, the actress said, "After my first lesson, I left a voice note for my friend trying not to have a panic attack."
Olly Alexander Began Sobbing During A Take Of It's A Sin
While filming the scene where Ritchie and his friends were being arrested for protesting the British government's inaction on AIDS in It's a Sin, actor Olly Alexander began sobbing. After the first take, he was in such hysterics that they had to stop filming.
During an interview with The New York Times, Alexander said, "I was a complete mess after the first take. I was sobbing."
Only Murders In The Building Was Originally A Bit Different
Co-creator Steve Martin confessed to coming up with the premise of Only Murders in the Building over a decade ago! But in his original plan, it was three older men who were lazy and were only solving murders in their Building.
When it came time to cast, though, Martin switched things up, so it was two older men and a young lady, played by Selena Gomez.
Robert Kirkman Wanted Invincible To Be Diverse
When Robert Kirkman created the animated series Invincible, he went a bit off-script from the original comic books. He wanted to make the characters more diverse.
During an interview, Kirkman said, "We were trying to come up with a more well-rounded and more diverse world that better represented the world around us. That's something that's very important to me."
Omar Sy Always Wanted To Play The Title Character In Lupin
Years before Lupin was even an idea, lead actor Omar Sy told producers that if he could play any character, it would be Lupin, the heroic criminal of Maurice Leblanc's novel series.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Sy was asked about his dream role. The actor said, "If I were English, I'd say James Bond. So I said Lupin, who's kind of the same." It looks like his dream role worked out!
The Messes In Maid Are A Result Of "Clean Filth"
Thankfully, in Maid, Margaret Qualley's character Alex isn't actually cleaning up disgusting homes and apartments. All of the filth seen on screen is what the actress calls "clean filth."
During an interview with E! News, she said, "It's all fake like I'm doing the princess version of all this. It's like ketchup, and hot sauce, and A1, or whatever, that's like plastered onto an oven...Everything is, like, clean dirt."
