10 Most Ridiculous Uses Of CGI In Movie History
4. Toby Maguire's Bald Head - Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
Though the actual use of CGI to bring Toby Maguire's unfortunate haircut to life in Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) was rather impressive and unnoticeable to most, the reason behind it being used in the first place was utterly ridiculous.
The story goes that the team behind the film had forgotten to include a clause in the future Spider-Man's contract which stated that he needed to part ways with his hair before the shoot took place. So, when he was informed of their intentions, the actor ended up asking for $15,000 to shave his head bald.
Determined not to bow to the actor's demands, Gilliam decided on an alternative which involved Maguire wearing a bald cap and using digital effects to finish off the look. The CGI back-up plan worked spectacularly in the end and the effect is still as convincing now as it was all those years ago.
In the end, however, this process cost more than the $15,000 Maguire was seeking to genuinely chop his hair off. There was probably an easier (and less expensive) way of getting around an actor refusing to become a skin-head, but Gilliam's going to Gilliam, I guess.