Twenty years ago, the film world witnessed one of the best female-led action movies of all time. Charlie’s Angels broke down boundaries, defied odds, and sparked the catalyst for change .
As a way of looking back celebrating everything that this incredible film was able to accomplish, here are 10+ Charlie’s Angels secrets fans didn’t know!
1. The movie never would have happened without Drew Barrymore.
Drew played a pivotal role in bringing Charlie’s Angels to life.
She was a huge fan of the original TV series and the production company loved her ideas for the film so much, that they ended up making her a producer.
Drew goes on to explain in an interview with Elle that she actually didn’t have a fully formed idea at the time.
“All they really had at that point was a concept , so we told them what we would want to do, how we would want to cast it, how we see the world, handpicked the director, on and on and on, and we got to make the movie.”
2. This was one of Melissa McCarthy’s first film roles.
At this time, Melissa was just beginning to make a name for herself.
This was also the same year where she made her debut as Cookie St. James in Gilmore Girls .
3. Tom Green and Drew Barrymore started dating after she cast him in the film!
A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that they were already an item. This is incorrect, according to Tom.
Not only that, but he claims that it was Drew who pursued him!
Tom was later diagnosed with testicular cancer while they were filming.
You may remember Tom’s most iconic line “The Chad is great!”
Toward the end of filming, Drew was visiting Tom in the hospital on a regular basis and was present for the videotaping of his surgery!
4. They practically begged Angelina Jolie to star in the film.
When asked why she turned down the role, Jolie responded:
“The reasons to do it would be to play a tough girl , and I’ve already done that. Plus, I don’t wanna be that exposed by being in a really big movie.”
5. The experience was truly life changing for Cameron Diaz.
“The day I started martial arts training for Charlie’s Angels was a pivotal moment in my life in terms of my physical fitness. It was the first time someone showed me what my very own body had the potential to do.”
6. Lucy Liu took home a significantly smaller payday than her co-stars.
We’re talking millions of dollars! This was the case not only for the original but the sequel as well.
Cameron Diaz is reported to have received an incredible $20 million dollars, while Liu only received $4 million .
7. Drew and Cameron forged a friendship that’s still going strong to this day!
“Getting out of your house with your girlfriend. And being a whole person, with your sister . Remember to spend a moment with the ones you love in your busy life. She has made me feel beyond beautiful. Always has. Always will.”
8. Bill Murray was a complete nightmare to work with.
There were rumors going around that a heated argument between director, McG, and Murray ended with a headbutt, something Bill vehemently denies.
“That’s bull[expletive]! That’s complete crap! I don’t know why he made that story up. He has a very active imagination …No! He deserves to die!”
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McG wasn’t the only person on set to feel Bill’s wrath.
Lucy Liu was the next person to fall into Bill’s crosshairs.
According to Bill, “We began rehearsing this scene, and I asked, ‘Lucy, how can you want to say these lines? These are so crazy.’ She got furious with me because she thought that it was a personal assault, but the reality is that she hated these lines as much as I did.”
Their fight became heated! There were even rumors that punches were thrown.
“For twenty minutes there, we went to our separate corners and threw hand-grenades and sky rockets at each other. But we made peace, and I got to know her better from that day, and I feel very warmly for her now.”
9. There are several references to other classic films embedded in the script.
“Why don’t we start with that Bill Murray prison scene. We wanted it to be the amalgam of all the great prison scenes. They’ve got the Cooler King playing ball. You know, Great Escape style. Birdman of Alcatraz where he talks to the bird.”
10. There’s an Easter Egg reference to one of Drew Barrymore’s earliest films.
“That’s the house from ET where they shot it,” according to McG. “I was just trying to find interesting points of synergy and I really wanted to inject the film with a bunch of conversation points. You know? And that was just one of them.”
11. Even though Bill and McG came to blows, the director admits he’s still a fan of the legendary comedian.
“I was raised on Bill Murray for God’s sake. You know, Stripes, Meatballs, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, unbelievable. And then Tom Green, I’m a huge fan of his and love his style of humor, just love him as a person.”
