10 Movie Characters Killed In Reshoots
3. Fred Wilson - King Kong (1976)
In the 1976 King Kong remake, the primary antagonist is Fred Wilson, the greedy oil magnate ultimately responsible for Kong's rampage through New York City, as played so deliciously by the late, great Charles Grodin.
Wilson ends up getting his satisfying comeuppance when Kong breaks loose during the film's climax. Wilson trips over and is stepped on by Kong, killing him instantly.
However, Grodin has confirmed in interviews that Wilson was originally supposed to survive the events of the film, but once test audiences got their oar in and demanded justice, a small additional beat of him being stepped on was shot.
This is definitely a case where test audiences were right - seeing Wilson get stomped flat is enormously cathartic given his avaricious, selfish, and reckless actions throughout the movie.