20 Things You Somehow Missed In The Shawshank Redemption

It's hard to make yourself watch the background when the A-listers are front and center on the screen, but when you do, you often catch strange details the filmmakers are hoping you don't catch. In the case of Frank Darabont and The Shawshank Redemption, it's that the extras in the large crowd scenes within the prison are not very consistent at all.

Locals in the town of Mansfield were clamoring to be a part of The Shawshank Redemption while shooting was taking place. Hopeful extras lined up for blocks and blocks trying to secure a spot in the background of the prison yard, but the casting director encountered a big problem with the majority of them: They either worked day jobs or could only work one day.

The crew also turned to real ex-convicts for the background sequences. The casting director sought out local halfway houses and casted anyone who was interested in some extra work. So, if the extras in the background of The Shawshank Redemption seem different from scene to scene, it’s because many of them couldn't give much of their time to the shoot.