10 Ridiculous Stories Behind 2021 Movies

Putting it mildly, 2021 was a weird year in cinema for audiences and studios alike. We went from a barren desert of releases at the start to an avalanche of new films by the end. While studios struggled to bring their creations to us and stay afloat, we were desperately waiting to get back to the cinema once more. However, it was worth the wait for the most part, on our side at least.

In the confusion of the times and delight in being back, no one would blame you for feeling a bit left behind. With an unabating release schedule from a standing start, it's hard enough to keep track of what's coming out, let alone get any juicy details from behind the scenes.

And that's a real shame. As anyone who's ever made a film will tell you, the production process is as weird and unpredictable as it is satisfying (and tiring). Consequently, ever-increasing media cycles focussing on the next film out meant that so many ridiculously great production stories went under the radar. But fear not, as we give you the lowdown on the best ones behind the movies from the mayhem of a year that is 2021.

Unsurprsingly, the race for acting awards at the Oscars can be insanely competitive. So much so that many an actor has gone 'full method' to immerse themselves in a role completely. Sometimes, they take it too far, with hilarious results for anyone who isn't them. This time, it was Benedict Cumberbatch's turn.

In The Power Of The Dog, he plays Phil Burbank, a cowboy who rarely washes, loves to smoke and hates Kirsten Dunst's character. So, good old Benedict pretty much did the same. In an interview, he said he wanted to have a "layer of stink" on him, to the point where he got embarrassed by the cleaner. No doubt making his smell worse, Cumberbatch also talked about the constant stream of filterless cigarettes, which had to be "perfectly rolled with one hand". As a result, the smoking got so bad that it gave him nicotine poisoning on three separate occasions.

To complete the final part of the method-acting trifecta, both actors actively avoided each other for pretty much the entire shoot. While Dunst said it was due to the hatred between their characters, she'll have a tough time convincing us that the cigarettes and BO weren't also at play.