Few films have captivated and confused audiences quite like Inception . Nearly a decade after its release, audiences are still left scratching their heads trying to come up with an explanation.
In order to help shed some light on the subject, here are 10+ behind the scenes secrets about Inception that fans didn’t know. No, you aren’t dreaming – this is for real. At least, I think it is…?
1. Christopher Nolan had been working on the script for more than a decade.
“The final piece of the puzzle for me with the script I’d been trying to finish for about 10 years was figuring out how to connect emotionally with the central character in a way that would make it a more emotional story.”
2. Production tested out the idea of filming in 3-D.
“We looked at shooting Inception in 3D and decided we’d be too restricted by the technology. We wouldn’t have been able to shoot on film the way we’d like to.”
Thank goodness! 3-D movies make me nauseous.
3. The first letters of each character’s name forms an amusing anagram.
The six main characters in the film are Dom, Robert, Eames, Arthur, Mal, and Saito. Put them together and what’ve you got? D.R.E.A.M.S.
If you include the characters Peter, Ariadne, and Yusuf, the anagram reveals itself as “Dreams Pay”.
4. They actually built a rotating room to film the fight scene with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
It’s difficult to say what scene in Inception is the most visually impressive, but the rotating hallway definitely has to be on the shortlist.
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There was no trick photography or CGI used at all. That’s a real rotating room and Jospeph Gordon-Levitt did most of his own stunts, too!
5. There was a blizzard while filming the final dream sequence.
“It was eight months of biting our nails hoping we’d get some snow. We were prepared to make some snow, but there’s no way we would have gotten the images we wanted without real snow . You’ve got to be careful what you hope for, because we got a blizzard.”
6. A lot of thought went into crafting the score for the film.
Christopher Nolan explained during an interview that “I like films where the music and the sound design, at times, are almost indistinguishable .”
It’s a good thing he had the legendary Hans Zimmer to lean on in order to help bring his vision to life!
7. Christopher Nolan did almost zero research into the study of dreams.
“I do know because I think a lot of what I find you want to do with research is just confirming things you want to do. If the research contradicts what you want to do, you tend to go ahead and do it anyway.”
8. Christopher Nolan arranged the cast around Leonard DiCaprio.
“Leo is the character with the most history: the character whose history, whose back story, is going to most influence things. So I certainly wanted to get a young, energetic cast around him who wouldn’t make him look younger, if you know what I mean.”
9. There’s one scene in particular that Leo found to be the most-grueling to film.
“The toughest action sequence, I think that the sequence in Morocco was pretty tough because I had to run through a crowd of people. I felt kind of like a pinball because I was bouncing from Moroccan to Moroccan and falling into various vending machines.”
10. Christopher Nolan said that he took inspiration from his favorite films.
“I certainly allowed my mind to wander where it would naturally and I think a lot of the tropes from different genres of movies, heist films, spy films, that kind of thing, they therefore sort of naturally sit in that world.”
11. There’s a connection to Pink Floyd that might surprise you.
Christopher Nolan is a huge fan of Pink Floyd (who isn’t, am I right?).
Anyway, according to Chris, one of his biggest influences while making the film came from watching The Wall by Pink Floyd.
12. They aren’t ruling out the possibility of a sequel.
When asked point-blank if he would make another Inception film, Chris replied,
“I’ve always liked the potential of the world. It’s an infinite, or perhaps I should say an infinitesimal world that fascinates me.”
He goes on to explain that he originally viewed it as a standalone movie, but that opinions can change.
“I think of Inception as one film, but that’s how I approach all my films. When I was making Batman Begins , I certainly didn’t have any thoughts of doing a second Batman film, let alone a third.”
13. Tom Hardy almost didn’t get the part because he didn’t know how to ski!
Tom made an appearance on the UK series Chatty Man and revealed that he had to lie to Chris Nolan!
He only learned how to properly ski after he’d already arrived on set.
He goes on to explain that Christopher Nolan literally strapped him on to the back of a ski-doo and pulled him.
Can you imagine watching that unfold ?! I can’t decide if it’s terrifying or totally awesome? Probably a little bit of both, I suppose.
