The set of Shawshank prison’s cell block was built from scratch using plastic sheets over windows and lamps to simulate daylight. This setup was so hazardous that if you put a lamp too close to the plastic sheets, they might catch fire. And you guessed it, that’s exactly what happened.
Luckily, the director and an extra were on their way to get coffee and extinguished the fire before it became too big. Thanks to a chronic coffee addiction, the set and the movie were saved that day.
A Real Portrayal
Clancy Brown, the actor who plays Captain Hadley, was approached by real correctional officers to help him make his portrayal as realistic as possible. Brown didn’t want to distort the image of real correctional officers, so he turned them all down.
Brown knew that to portray Captain Hadley, he had to go all-in on the evil aspects of the character. He did such a great job that Captain Hadley is still one of the most hated movie characters of all time.
Fake Sewage
During the climax of the movie, Andy escapes prison after digging a hole in his cell wall and crawling through the sewers. As you can imagine, he gets elbow deep in his fellow inmates' waste, among other things. Don't worry, the excrement wasn't real. The director didn't make Tim Robbins crawl through actual human waste.
The sludge was much tastier than you think, because the fake waste was a mixture of Chocolate syrup, sawdust, and water. According to the people who still visit the old sets in Ohio, the pipes still smell like chocolate to this day.
Shawshank Souvenirs
'The Shawshank Redemption' has brought tourism to Ohio through the years. The local economy benefits a lot from Shawshank tourism. So much so that many local businesses sell Shawshank-related products.
If you get to Ohio's "Shawshank Trail," you can find products like Reformatory "Red" Wines and Shawshank Bundt Cakes. For you die-hard fans out there, grab a slice of "Redemption Pie" at Two Cousins' Pizza. Remember not to picture Andy crawling through prison waste when you eat it.
Charlie Sheen Wanted a Part in the Movie
Back in the day, young Charlie Sheen tried everything he could to get a part in 'The Shawshank Redemption'. He even offered to be paid as little as possible, saying, "I'll do this movie for [expletive] scale," which means the minimum wage for actors of his caliber (at the time). Sheen also offered to do a 30-minute test reel to play Red.
Perhaps he didn't think it through. Sheen could've played Red in "Two and a Half Men" days, but he was way too young in 1994. Anyway, the studio ended up choosing Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins instead. Hallelujah!