10 Movie Scenes With Unexpected Influences
6. Saruman's Death Was Based On Christopher Lee's Life - Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King
Saruman's (Christopher Lee) death in the third and final Lord of the Rings movie is absolutely unforgettable - he's stabbed in the back by Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), falls from Orthanc, and is fatally impaled on spikes below.
Yet the moment that Wormtongue plunges his blade into Saruman's chest was influenced by a most unexpected source - actor Christopher Lee's own experiences with death in World War II.
In a hilarious behind-the-scenes video, Jackson and Lee explain that the director was detailing to Lee how he wanted the actor to scream in reaction to the stabbing, at which point Lee interjected and corrected him.
Having witnessed such a murder first hand in war, Lee told Jackson that Saruman shouldn't scream, but rather let out a sharp exhalation, due to the breath being driven out of his body by the blade.
And so in his own words, Jackson "didn't push the subject any further," satisfied that Lee knew how to give a persuasive performance for Saruman's death scene - which, of course, he absolutely did.