Nowadays, it’s weird to think that this hit movie had such bad box office numbers. The reason for it could be the unfortunate timing that coincided with other cinematic hits. But Morgan freeman had a different idea.
Freeman speculated that the film’s name was holding it back. It was too difficult for people to pronounce, which made it hard for the film to become popular through word of mouth.
Stand-in Hands
Even though Tim Robbins played Andy Dufresne in most scenes, he didn't play the character during the close-up shots of Andy's hands. In fact, they're the hands of director Frank Darabont. He was so particular about the way he wanted Andy's hands to behave that he did it himself in post-production.
So, when Andy's hands load the revolver in the opening scene or carve his name into his cell wall, it's Darabont the whole time.
The Movie Flopped at the Box Office
'The Shawshank Redemption' was a commercial flop before it became a classic. The movie initially made $18 million at the box office, which wasn't even enough to cover the studio's costs. But even though the movie made $10 million more after being nominated for a bunch of Oscars, it was still considered a flop.
The film only became popular after Warner Home Video shipped 320,000 rental copies across the US. Even though many thought that it was risky to distribute so many VHS tapes of the movie, it paid off.
A Different Freeman
Is that digitally de-aged Morgan Freeman on that mugshot? Actually, it's his son. Red's mugshots in the movie, which are attached to his parole papers, are actually photos of Alfonso Freeman. He even had a cameo in the film chanting, "Fresh fish! Fresh fish today! We're reeling em' in!"
This wasn't the only time Alfonso showed up in one of his dad's films either. The year after Shawshank came out, he played the fingerprint technician in the movie 'Seven'.
Trying to Work With a Bird
As mentioned previously, Brooks (the old library man) has a pet crow named Jake. In the movie, Andy goes to work in the prison library and talks to the crow, who keeps squawking. Tim Robbins had to time his lines so the bird's squawks wouldn't interrupt him like some avian rap battle.
Over time, Robbins knew the bird's squawking pattern so well that it never ruined a scene. If you look at Robbins closely during the scene, you can tell he's waiting for Jake's next yap.