20 curiosities of 'The Truman Show', one of the best movies of the 90s

the truman show

In 1998 ‘The Truman Show’ premiered, cinema in capital letters that hid reflections on our own mortality, on our relationship with God, how today’s society is completely obsessed with pop culture or the limits of free will. A complexly simple film that is already over 20 years old and from which we are going to highlight 20 curious facts that you probably did not know.

Directed by Peter Weir and starring Jim Carrey, Laura Linney and Ed Harris, ‘The Truman Show’ is one of the best movies of the 90s, as well as a dystopia that is still as fresh and relevant as the first day. If not more. The story follows Truman Burbank, an ordinary, if somewhat naive, man who leads an ordinary, quiet life in one of those magazine catalog suburban neighborhoods where nothing ever happens. But, what if his life is nothing more than a simulation and the reality is very different? Some strange events make him suspect that something is wrong. And boy no: His friends are actors and his entire city is a set because he (unknowingly) is the star of the most ambitious reality show on television..

Thanks to this fascinating plot, the wonderful performance of Jim Carrey and a handful of iconic moments (including one of the most famous and iconic movie lines in history: “In case we don’t meet again: good morning, good afternoon and good nights”), ‘The Truman Show’ became a phenomenon in the late ’90s, and more than two decades later, we keep coming back to it to marvel at its findings. We review twenty curiosities to remember everything that surrounded the production, from the incredible number of times that Andrew Niccol had to rewrite the script to the first choices of the cast.

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Peter Weir wasn’t the first director attached to the project

The legendary Australian director, six times nominated for an Oscar, whose history includes films such as the magnificent ‘Sole Witness’, the misunderstood ‘The Mosquito Coast’, the well-remembered ‘Dead Poets Club’ or the film with the most beautiful title of the 80s ‘The year of living dangerously’ came to the project after brian depalma I would abandon him. Other directors who were considered by the study were Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam, Barry Sonnenfeld either sam raimi. even a young Bryan Singer he opted for the director’s chair, but Paramout preferred Weir as he was more experienced.

The script is based on a chapter of ‘The Twilight Zone’

The chapter called ‘special service‘ was written by J. Michael Straczynski, which would later create ‘Babylon 5’. In it, the protagonist discovers that his life is being televised, and even his wife is in on it. This chapter in turn was based on the book of Philip K Dick ‘Disjointed time’.

Andrew Niccol had to rewrite the script 16 times

The screenwriter andrew nicolwhich he had directed and written ‘Gattaca’, was commissioned to script the Truman Burbank story, but his first draft was too dark. Peter Weir wanted the film to have more comedy, to be lighter.

Jim Carrey was not the first choice

The first actor attached to the project was neither more nor less than Gary Oldman, who came from doing ‘Leon’ and ‘The Scarlet Letter’. They also considered for the role robin williams.

Jim Carrey lowered his cachet to star in the movie

In those years, Jim Carrey was a star, having starred in comedies like ‘The Mask’ or ‘Ace Ventura’. The press echoed the 20 million dollars that he charged per film. But the actor was so interested in the project that he lowered his cache from 20 to 12 million dollars. His signing was highly commented, since it was going to be his first dramatic role.

Norman Rockwell was the inspiration for the production design

Rockwell’s covers for him Saturday Evening Post They were the direct inspiration of director Peter Weir: the covers and postcards designed by Rockwell represented Christmas images, families reunited, family car trips, interiors of shops or barbershops, ice cream parlors with children…

The production of the film waited 1 year for Jim Carrey

The actor was at that time filming ‘A crazy person at home’ and ‘Compulsive liar’. They had to wait a year for him to finish his previous engagements.

Peter Weir shot a documentary of the shooting

The director had so much material that he decided to make a short documentary about the filming of the film.

Ed Harris was not the first Christof

In fact, the actor who would play Christof was Dennis Hopper but he was fired (or left himself, there are different versions of the story) due to creative differences, so the studio signed Ed Harris at the last minute.

Jim Carrey and Ed Harris never met on set

Both actors do not share a single minute of footage. In fact, Carrey finished his parts days before Ed Harris’ arrival on the project.

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There is a disorder called ‘Truman Syndrome’

It is a type of persecutory or grandiosity delusion in which the patient believes that his life is part of a theatrical scene or a reality show.

The movie poster cost $75,000.

Rob Silverman created the iconic poster, in which hundreds of individual photographs created a larger image: the face of Jim Carrey.

There was a rape scene in the original script.

Two actors faked a rape and Truman was a witness but did nothing to help the woman who was assaulted.

The ship in which Truman flees Seahaven is numbered 139, and the dialogue between Truman and Christof contains references to Psalm 139, as well as other aspects of the film.

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Truman’s name is a play on words.

Truman It would be the union of the words ‘true’ and ‘man’, highlighting the protagonist as the true man among all those who were on the set of the reality show. his last name, Burbank, It is an area of Los Angeles where many movie studios are located.

Similarities to Michael Jackson

“With ‘The Truman Show’ my intention was to leave a message to the public. If you watch ‘The Truman Show’ and, I mean, Jim Carrey did a fantastic job, but Michael Jackson is Truman. He’s the person you I was based on and is the closest thing to Truman. He embodies the ridicule of celebrity culture. Don’t take it on the negative side, it’s not an insult to this person. The connection between Michael and Truman is simple – they both have a heart and people treat them as objects that the world of entertainment gives. And this is not the only connection” he explained Peter Weir to USA TODAY

Anabella Sciorra was about to appear in the film

The leading actress of ‘The Hand that rocks the cradle’ auditioned for the role of Natasha McElhonereaching almost to the end.

Laura Linney won the role from Hope Davis

The actress would ultimately lose the role and end up starring in the thriller ‘Arlington Road’.

Christof was going to be much darker

His plan was for Truman’s character to get his wife pregnant and to continue with the show, this time with Truman’s child. In fact, in the original script, Truman even tried to drown him out into the real world. Even Ed Harris proposed that the character have a hunchback (although the idea was dropped).

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Two movie critics apologized to Jim Carrey after seeing the movie

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, two famous film critics, apologized to the actor since they had criticized a few years before that Jim Carrey would never have a career in the world of cinema after seeing ‘Ace Ventura’.

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Reference-www.fotogramas.es