20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Zodiac (2007)
15. RDJ Insisted His Straw Trick Was Included
While shooting TV or film, it's not uncommon for directors or actors to have little flashes of inspiration on set. Some of the best moments on screen are due to someone just doing or saying something in the moment. It's these little moments that can define a character and often make it into the final piece.
Yet, for Robert Downey Jr, one of these moments would become a source of deep regret. The actor had perfected a little trick involving four straws and asked Fincher if he could include it during one of the bar scenes. It fit perfectly with the character and the director saw no issue with it being included.
What the actor hadn't counted on was just how many times he would need to perform the inane trick. True to his nature, Fincher called for take after take, driving the poor actor insane. In the DVD commentary, Fincher goes on to say, “Twenty-six takes later he was beside himself, he was so frustrated, so fed up.”
You have to give it up for RDJ for sticking with it for all those takes, especially as it played such a tiny part in a very quick scene.