1. Lost In Translation Would Have Been Abandoned If Bill Murray Had Said No
Thank God he said yes. That's all I can say about this one as I picture a world in which Bill Murray wasn't really in the mood for Lost In Translation, and had passed. So Sofia Coppola would have just found somebody else, though, right? Not quite. What lots of people don't realise about this Oscar-winner movie is that Coppola wrote the role specifically for Bill Murphy - he had not agreed, Coppola said she would never have made the movie. But she at least knew Murray when she wrote the script, right? Uh, not quite. Not at all, in fact. When she'd finished the screenplay, she spent months and months calling Bill Murray and trying to get him on board, all to no avail. Eventually Murray read the script and agreed, although he didn't sign any formal contract and agreed to meet Coppola in Tokyo on the first day of shooting. And there she waited, unsure as to whether or not he'd actually turn up. When he did, the crew breathed a sign of relief, and movie magic was made. Rather brilliantly, Murray cites Lost In Translation as his favourite of all the movies he's ever made, and he even got nominated for an Oscar for his turn as movie star Bob Harris. And to think... it almost never happened.
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