20 movies with heartbreaking behind-the-scenes stories

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is an undeniably powerful film, thanks in large part to Viola Davis’ searing performance. However, it’s also rendered even more poignant by the fact that her co-star, Chadwick Boseman, was dying of colon cancer while the film was being made. In fact, he passed away before it was released. Even though he was clearly ill, Boseman still gave his all to his performance, and his star persona blazes all the more brightly throughout the film, making it a fitting capstone to his extraordinary career.

Singin’ in the Rain might be the epitome of classical Hollywood joy and exuberance, but things were much more difficult and strained behind the scenes. Things were particularly ugly in the relationship between stars Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. The former was often quite abusive to the latter, particularly regarding her lack of dance experience. What’s more, Reynolds’ feet also bled from the extensive takes required of the “Good Morning” number, which demonstrates just how much work it takes to be a professional dancer, whether on-screen or off.

Apocalypse Now is one of Francis Ford Coppola's great cinematic achievements, but it was plagued with troubles and production issues, some of which were actually quite tragic. Arguably, the worst of these revolves around star Martin Sheen. Even though he was relatively young at the time of shooting, he had a heart attack that nearly killed him. As sometimes happens in Hollywood, Sheen’s suffering matched that of his character, who is struggling in the Cambodian jungles. As if all of that weren’t enough, at the beginning of filming, Sheen was also struggling with alcoholism.

Though it might not be terribly well-known now, the 1931 film The Viking has what is arguably one of the most tragic and heartbreaking stories in movie history. Filming included the use of an actual sealing ship and, during one horrible incident, there was an explosion. This killed several members of the crew, including Varik Frissell, who was the producer on the film. He was only twenty eight at the time, and the incident remains the deadliest in film history.

The Last Jedi is arguably one of the most divisive Star Wars movies. However, no one can deny that it’s in many ways a poignant one, particularly since it’s one of the last to feature Carrie Fisher, who passed away before the movie’s release. Seeing Fisher’s performance in the film is powerful, particularly because it shows Leia managing to survive terrible odds in her ongoing fight against the First Order. Still, one can’t help but feel sad that she didn’t live long enough to complete filming for  The Rise of Skywalker.

The Adventures of Milo and Otis is a beloved part of the childhoods of folks raised in the 1980s and 1990s, but it’s one of those films with a truly wrenching backstory. Particularly vexing is the amount of cruelty inflicted on the animals used in the movie’s production. Once one has learned of the many allegations against the filmmakers, it’s practically impossible to ever view it the same, particularly given the extent to which it’s impossible to deny that 

Alfred Hitchcock was an undeniable genius at directing films, but he was also known as a bit of a tyrant, particularly with the actresses he hired. The Birds, which stars Tippi Hedren, was especially troubled, and Hedren reportedly endured quite a lot of abuse and sexual harassment at his hands, as well as injury during filming. Given the extent to which her character also endures quite a lot, including the infamous bird attacks, there’s an unfortunate symmetry between art and life.

Deadpool 2 might be one of the funnier superhero films out there, but it has its fair share of sad stories associated with it. Of particular note was the death of stunt performer Joi “SJ” Harris, who died after a motorcycle accident in which she was involved. This led to some much-needed scrutiny of the production as a whole, which had been expecting many members of the cast and crew to work far more than they should have, making a tragedy like this one almost inevitable. 

Few film sets have been quite as notorious as that of The Twilight Zone. As its title suggests, it’s based on the TV series of the same name, and, as an anthology film, it actually has several different directors. It earned its place in the hall of Hollywood tragedy, however, when a helicopter crash ended up taking the lives of star Vic Morrow and two children who’d been illegally hired to be in the movie. Though director Michael Landis was eventually found not guilty of manslaughter, the whole affair forever stained the reputation of both Landis and the movie.

Even by the standards of old Hollywood, which tended not to be particularly race-conscious, The Conqueror is notable for its egregious miscasting of John Wayne as Genghis Khan. This, however, was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the film’s troubled backstory. The film was also made very close to a nuclear testing site, and ever since, there has been a belief that this proximity led to many of the cast members getting cancer. As such, it’s a haunting reminder of just how dangerous filmmaking was and, in some cases, continues to be.

There’s no question that A Star is Born  features one of star Judy Garland’s best performances. She pours her heart and soul into Esther Blodgett, a rising star whose ascent to stardom coincides with the decline of her husband. Given Garland’s own struggles with addiction both before and after the film’s production, one can see more than a little of her own star persona reflected in the tragic story of James Mason’s Norman Maine. It’s easy to see why both of them were nominated for Academy Awards, as well as why the movie remains so beloved.

Being a stunt performer in Hollywood is undoubtedly a very dangerous job, as many stunt performers and doubles have found to their regret. This is particularly true in films requiring a great deal of action, as was the case with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. During the filming, a stunt double was injured so badly that he was never able to walk again. This adds quite a layer of tragedy to an already wrenching movie, and it’s also a reminder of the need for stringent safety protocols.

Released in 1959, Solomon and Sheba stars Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida as the title characters. However, Brynner wasn’t the original actor. Instead, that honor went to Tyrone Power. Unfortunately, Power had a heart attack while on the set of the film and actually died. He was only 44 and had only been on the set of the movie for a couple of months. Yul Brynner stepped in and completed filming, leaving one to wonder what the film might have looked like if Power had survived. 

These days, it’s easy to assume that a film starring an animal has protections in place for both the human and nonhuman members of the crew. This hasn’t always been the case, however, and the western film Jesse James is infamous for a scene in which a horse falls off a cliff. In real life, the horse ultimately died as a result. This, in turn, led Hollywood to institute reforms to ensure that animals used in filmmaking were treated humanely. 

The Wizard of Oz is inarguably a truly beloved classic of old Hollywood, and it retains its timeless charm. However, the production had more than its fair share of mishaps, including one particularly terrible incident in which Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West, suffered severe burns on both her face and her hands. Though she eventually recovered, the incident is a reminder of just how perilous moviemaking could be, even in the well-oiled machine that was the Hollywood studio system.

Rust is arguably one of the most controversial films of the 21st century, and this is almost entirely due to its backstory. Anyone who has heard of the film has no doubt heard of the unfortunate shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, who was shot by a prop revolver that had been loaded with live ammunition. This understandably damaged the film’s reputation, and it ended up being a huge flop at the box office. The film will most certainly end up being more famous for the shooting incident than any of its other merits.

Last Tango in Paris is one of those films that seems to have set out to court controversy in pretty much every way, up to and including its inclusion of graphic sex and rape. The rape scene in particular is graphically depicted, and the actress Maria Schneider has been very open about the fact that its filming was tremendously difficult and left her with emotional scars. As such, the film is a troubling reminder of just how much women, particularly young women, were expected to endure in the name of men creating “art.”  

Don Bluth was well known in the 1980s for creating children’s movies that dealt with darker, more mature themes. In the case of All Dogs Go to Heaven, this was as true behind the camera as it was in front of it. Judith Barsi, who provided the voice of the little girl Anne-Marie, was actually murdered by her father before the film was completed. It’s a wrenching story, and it adds another layer of pathos to the film (as well as to The Land Before Time, in which she also starred, and which was also released after her death).

The Crow has arguably one of the most tragic backstories in Hollywood film. Most films don’t see the death of their major star during production, but that’s exactly what happened when Brandon Lee was killed by a stunt gun while filming had almost finished. The film would ultimately be released, though some use of stunt doubles and a variety of other methods were used to see it through to completion. It has, unsurprisingly, become a cult classic, and none of the efforts to reboot it have yet borne fruit.

Released in 1976, The Shootist is notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it was the last film in which western icon John Wayne appeared. In the film, his character, the noted sheriff and gunfighter J.B. Brooks, is dying of cancer. In a rather tragic twist, Wayne himself had already endured cancer before and had undergone surgery. Though he was cancer-free at the time of the film’s release, he would ultimately die of the disease in 1979, just a few years after The Shootist hit theaters.