Could you picture someone other than Richard Dreyfuss playing the role of Roy Neary? Well , in this article , you will learn that the studio was forced at one time to seek another to fill his shoes. A handful of actors were considered but never panned out”¦.don’t you want to know why?
A Dog’s Day”¦
Steven Spielberg’s dog sure got around, as he appears during the same time that the release of the humans takes place from the mother ship. He is the one sliding down the ramp. This isn’t the only time the dog has seen stars in its eyes, as he was also Brody’s faithful companion in Jaws.
Taking a Page from a Childhood”¦
When the humans communicate with the aliens, they make melodies using their computers. Perhaps the mother of the writer and director (Steven Spielberg) being a musician subconsciously had something to do with this part of the movie. His father was also a computer scientist, which could have also played a role in his son’s great imagination. It wasn’t until an interview with James Lipton on :Inside the Actors Studio” in 1994 that this connection was ever brought to his attention.
Paying Homage to a Composer
The aliens use hand signals in the movie, which originate from the gestures that teachers use to teach the solfege scale to students , an invention of a composer by the name of Zoltan Kodaly.
Not a Mistake!
The fuzzy appearance of the aliens was a deliberate move by the cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, who wished to overexpose the scene on purpose. The fuzziness of the aliens was first thought a mistake and the scenes were sent for re-editing. Zsigmond grew irate and had everything turned back the way he had it.
Keeping Track of the Days”¦
Actor Bob Balaban, which revealed the everyday ups and downs of production, kept a diary while on the set. This behind-the-scenes look was actually published to accommodate the release of the film.
“I Knew You’d Come Back to Me”¦”
Richard Dreyfuss played hardball with his salary for his role in Close Encounters. As a result, the studio went searching for someone who would take less than the $500,000 plus gross points he was asking. Al Pacino declined. Jack Nicholson mentioned that the special effects were a bit ‘overwhelming.’ Hackman turned down the role because he was experiencing a low point in his marriage.
James Caan was also a possibility, but he too wanted a great amount. He asked for $1 million plus 10% of the gross, which caused the studio to return to Dreyfuss. His deal was lessened, but in the end , he gained great acclaim for taking on the role of Roy Neary.
True Story Links
In the movie, the mentioning of a Flight 19 was actually based upon a true incident, which involved the disappearance of four planes in Fort Lauderdale in 1945 that show up in the Mexican desert. However, in real life , the plane was never found and are still part of the tale that refers to as “the Lost Flight 19.”