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!
The Entire Set Almost Burned Down to the Ground
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.
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.
Missing an Academy Award
Although the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, Terence Marsh was never nominated for Production Design. Strangely, he was snubbed even though he had already won two Oscars for Art Direction in the 1960s.
According to director Frank Darabont, the prison set that Marsh had built was so realistic that everyone thought it was a real prison and not a sound stage. Sorry, Terence. Some people are too talented for their own good, and you're one of them.
The Trailways Coach is Still Running
Near the end, Red boards a Trailways coach after being released from prison. The bus that we see in the movie was an actual antique, found and restored by the late owner of the Blue Ridge Trailways, John Holbein, in 1990. The real bus is a GM PD-4104 that was built in 1960 and later delivered to the Carolina Scenic Trailways.
The bus's current owner is Capital Trailways, based in Montgomery, Alabama. A few lucky people have been able to ride the bus, but you can see the road the bus drove down in Ohio.