10. Robert De Niro & John Cazale Used A Loaded Revolver Whilst Shooting Their Russian Roulette Scene - The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter introduced the world to the talents of writer/director Michael Cimino, and made everyone really depressed for, like, two weeks in the aftermath of having seen it. Nowadays, it's considered to be something of a classic movie, much of which is attributed to its infamous Russian roulette scenes. And although it might sound insane to suggest that some of those scenes were staged using a loaded revolver, I'm going to suggest that. Because it's true. Although the iconic and best-known Russian roulette sequence - which takes place at the movie's mid-point when our heroes Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken are captured by thne Vietcong and forced to play - there's a scene later in the movie where De Niro's character forces his friend, played by John Cazale, into a game. To add an extra layer of hellish anxiety to the scene, though, De Niro suggested they load the chamber with a single bullet and play that way. For some reason Cazale accepted that this was a good idea, as did Cimino, who probably wanted to kiss De Niro. Of course, the chamber was feverishly checked each and every time to ensure a bullet wasn't going to accidently murder an actor, but all that great acting you thought you were seeing here? Genuine terror.