"One toke? You poor fool! Wait till you see those goddamn bats."
October 27, 2011 3:22 PM Subscribe
Tell me about films in which the actors use real drugs, or are under the influence of real drugs. Caffeine and nicotine don't count.
I'm assuming you're ignoring alcohol as well? Cause there are probably thousands of films with real alcohol in them.
posted by modernserf at 3:25 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by modernserf at 3:25 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: I'm pretty sure Franco & gang were under the influence of marijuana in Pineapple Express and Freaks & Geeks (according to their respective commentary tracks).
posted by puritycontrol at 3:28 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by puritycontrol at 3:28 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Just about everyone in Kids was fucking wasted.
posted by elizardbits at 3:28 PM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by elizardbits at 3:28 PM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
Best answer: In Apocalypse Now, Martin Sheen was wasted on alcohol when the scene in Willard's hotel room was filmed.
posted by googlebombed at 3:31 PM on October 27, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by googlebombed at 3:31 PM on October 27, 2011 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Easy Rider: In the campfire scene, Dennis Hopper smokes a real joint.
posted by mosk at 3:32 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by mosk at 3:32 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: It's not acting really, but Tripping With Caveh was to be a TV interview show that featured the titular host taking hallucinogens with a different celebrity guest each week. Only the pilot (with Will Oldham) was made, and you can now watch it on YouTube in 3 parts. (1 2 3)
posted by contraption at 3:33 PM on October 27, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by contraption at 3:33 PM on October 27, 2011 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Speaking of Apocalypse Now and Dennis Hopper... apparently he was pretty coked up during production.
posted by Hylas at 3:34 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Hylas at 3:34 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Anecdotal evidence (from various easy to search sources) suggests everyone was high during the filming of Easy Rider. Or what googlebombed said.
posted by elendil71 at 3:35 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by elendil71 at 3:35 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: According to the book "Wired" by Bob Woodward, John Belushi was pretty coked up through much of the filming of "Animal House."
Reportedly, Robert Shaw was fall down drunk during most of the filming of "Jaws."
posted by Gilbert at 3:40 PM on October 27, 2011
Reportedly, Robert Shaw was fall down drunk during most of the filming of "Jaws."
posted by Gilbert at 3:40 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: > Anecdotal evidence (from various easy to search sources) suggests everyone was high during the filming of Easy Rider.
According to the "making of" documentary Hearts of Darkness, this was also true for much of the cast of Apocalypse Now.
posted by mosk at 3:40 PM on October 27, 2011
According to the "making of" documentary Hearts of Darkness, this was also true for much of the cast of Apocalypse Now.
posted by mosk at 3:40 PM on October 27, 2011
Response by poster: I'm assuming you're ignoring alcohol as well?
Notable cases of champion-level drinking are preferred. For instance, Belushi's Animal House chug would qualify if it were real. A single cocktail may or may not be a dummy drink, but who cares either way?
Do you mean films where the characters are portrayed as being intoxicated, or any film where the actors happened to be under the influence, regardless of whether the character was supposed to be? Because if the latter counts, it's going to be a really long list.
I mean the latter.
posted by troll at 3:43 PM on October 27, 2011
Notable cases of champion-level drinking are preferred. For instance, Belushi's Animal House chug would qualify if it were real. A single cocktail may or may not be a dummy drink, but who cares either way?
Do you mean films where the characters are portrayed as being intoxicated, or any film where the actors happened to be under the influence, regardless of whether the character was supposed to be? Because if the latter counts, it's going to be a really long list.
I mean the latter.
posted by troll at 3:43 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: Carrie Fisher did a fair bit of coke on set for SW:TESB.
And while I can't find it online in 5 seconds, I remember reading an interview with Jerry Stahl where he said that during filming of Permanent Midnight someone was sent to procure some actual heroin because the cooking sequence(s) did not look realistic enough with whatever they had planned to use. That may or may not have been a little white lie for marketing purposes.
posted by K.P. at 3:44 PM on October 27, 2011
And while I can't find it online in 5 seconds, I remember reading an interview with Jerry Stahl where he said that during filming of Permanent Midnight someone was sent to procure some actual heroin because the cooking sequence(s) did not look realistic enough with whatever they had planned to use. That may or may not have been a little white lie for marketing purposes.
posted by K.P. at 3:44 PM on October 27, 2011
OP, can you respond to TWF's question, above, when you get a chance? If your question is merely about actors who act while drunk or stoned we're going to be here a while, whereas actors who do real drugs or drink real alcohol on camera is a much smaller, more notorious subset.
posted by mosk at 3:44 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mosk at 3:44 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd have bet money on Cheech and Chong, but a brief search turns up conflicting, and poor, evidence.
posted by rube goldberg at 3:52 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by rube goldberg at 3:52 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: Ewan McGregor says there were real drugs on the set of Velvet Goldmine.
posted by K.P. at 3:53 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by K.P. at 3:53 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: Robert Shaw insisted on doing the U.S.S. Indianapolis speech drunk. He got too drunk though, and could only deliver the first line (of a four minute speech). He had to do it again the next day.
posted by caek at 3:59 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by caek at 3:59 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: To clarify, I mean any drug use during the production of a film (whether on [Dennis Hopper smoking a joint in Easy Rider] or off-camera [Carrie Fisher using cocaine on the set of SW:TESB]), and any appearance on-camera [Martin Sheen drunk in Willard's hotel room in Apocalypse Now] while under the influence. I'll stop thread-sitting now.
posted by troll at 4:01 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by troll at 4:01 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: My favourite TV detective when I was a kid was DC Tosh from the Bill, who I later found out got fewer and fewer lines and fewer and fewer walk-on roles because he wasn't capable of delivering them. Poor bastard.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:07 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:07 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: A little broader but still in the televised-performance arena *cough*, Andre the Giant:
posted by cog_nate at 4:13 PM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
"On one tour, Andre’s Japanese sponsors rewarded him with a case of expensive plum wine. Andre settled down in the back of the bus and started drinking. Four hours later, the bus arrived at the next venue, and Andre was polishing off the last bottle of wine.Also, in a much less fun way, Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
Sixteen bottles of wine in four hours is a considerable feat, but it gets better. Andre proceeded straight to the ring and wrestled three matches, including a twenty-man battle royal. The 16 bottles of plum wine had no discernible effect on Andre’s in-ring ability. By the end of the evening, Andre had sweated off the wine and found himself growing cranky. He dispatched Hogan for a few cases of beer. Hogan hurried to do as Andre asked, knowing from painful experience that a drunken Giant was a happy Giant, and a happy Giant was less likely to fracture some vital part of an opponent’s anatomy in a fit of grumpiness."
posted by cog_nate at 4:13 PM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
Best answer: It's fairly well-established that Andrew McCarthy spent Pretty in Pink's filming drunk/hung over. I recall hearing that he was doing drugs at the time as well, but I can't find anything supporting that online. It definitely explains his buggy-eyed acting in the film.
posted by litnerd at 4:20 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by litnerd at 4:20 PM on October 27, 2011
(More Jake Roberts footage from the same event in the latter half of Botchamania 60.)
posted by cog_nate at 4:23 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by cog_nate at 4:23 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: I understand Ian Holm was actually drunk during Bilbo's drunk speech (they were unable to replicate his delivery in ADR) in the first Lord of the Rings film.
posted by SMPA at 4:27 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by SMPA at 4:27 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Probably all the good movies Robert Downey Jr. made, particularly "Less Than Zero."
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:28 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:28 PM on October 27, 2011
Tom Sizemore supposedly did a LOT of cocaine during the filming of Saving Private Ryan. Then again, given how many times dude's been pinched for coke and meth its probably a rare event when he wasn't high on one thing or another during filming of any of his various films.
posted by chosemerveilleux at 4:32 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by chosemerveilleux at 4:32 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Anthony Bourdain eats "happy pizza" (which I think has pot on it) in his Cambodia episode. He certainly seems high at the end, and I don't think it's just an act but I'm not positive.
Supposedly, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis drank tequila before shooting their infamous Black Swan sex-scene. Kunis later denied it, but that's contested.
posted by losvedir at 4:57 PM on October 27, 2011
Supposedly, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis drank tequila before shooting their infamous Black Swan sex-scene. Kunis later denied it, but that's contested.
posted by losvedir at 4:57 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: In the movie Holiday Inn, Fred Astaire's character is supposed to be totally wasted at a New Year's party. Of course, because he's Fred Astaire, the scene has to end with a partner dance.
To make the scene credible, Fred famously started by taking 2 shots of whiskey before the first take, and an additional shot between every subsequent take. The shot that you actually see in the film is the 7th take, so he's had 9 shots of whiskey in a very short period of time. I cringe to think of how many shots they ended up filming, and how many shots of whiskey it required!
posted by genekelly'srollerskates at 5:17 PM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
To make the scene credible, Fred famously started by taking 2 shots of whiskey before the first take, and an additional shot between every subsequent take. The shot that you actually see in the film is the 7th take, so he's had 9 shots of whiskey in a very short period of time. I cringe to think of how many shots they ended up filming, and how many shots of whiskey it required!
posted by genekelly'srollerskates at 5:17 PM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
I've heard somewhere that Brian Cox is truly drunk during the scene in Super Troopers where his character is drunk and destructive, but now I can't find anything to back that up. Perhaps it's in the special features or commentary or something.
posted by komara at 5:29 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by komara at 5:29 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Do documentaries count? Because there is that terrifying scene where Steve Drozd does heroin in the Flaming Lips film The Fearless Freaks...
posted by twirlip at 5:32 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by twirlip at 5:32 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
One of my ex-boyfriends did some of the special effects for Scarface. Apparently Al Pacino had some issue with even doing fake coke, as I recall, so there were scenes that were done using effects.
One of the effects scenes involved a shot where you had to see the coke being vacuumed up. He built this box with a glass top for this and while the actual scenes probably involved fake coke, I personally did real coke with him on it.
posted by Maias at 5:59 PM on October 27, 2011 [3 favorites]
One of the effects scenes involved a shot where you had to see the coke being vacuumed up. He built this box with a glass top for this and while the actual scenes probably involved fake coke, I personally did real coke with him on it.
posted by Maias at 5:59 PM on October 27, 2011 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Seth Rogen has probably been stoned in every movie you've seen him in.
posted by Lutoslawski at 6:03 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Lutoslawski at 6:03 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Sorry, I can't find a good citation for this, but I've been told that David Carradine was under the influence of LSD during the filming of this episode wherein Kung Fu is in a cave hallucinating!
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 6:48 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 6:48 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Love Finds Andy Hardy and other Andy Hardy films.
From Judy Garland's wikipedia page:
To keep up with the frantic pace of making one film after another, Garland, Rooney, and other young performers were constantly given amphetamines, as well as barbiturates to take before going to bed. For Garland, this regular dose of drugs led to addiction and a lifelong struggle, and contributed to her eventual demise. She later resented the hectic schedule and felt that her youth had been stolen from her by MGM.
posted by marsha56 at 8:43 PM on October 27, 2011
From Judy Garland's wikipedia page:
To keep up with the frantic pace of making one film after another, Garland, Rooney, and other young performers were constantly given amphetamines, as well as barbiturates to take before going to bed. For Garland, this regular dose of drugs led to addiction and a lifelong struggle, and contributed to her eventual demise. She later resented the hectic schedule and felt that her youth had been stolen from her by MGM.
posted by marsha56 at 8:43 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: I can't find any evidence with quick googling, but I remember reading or seeing an interview with Bridget Fonda where she strongly implied that she did smoke pot during the filming of Jackie Brown. She looks very realistically stoned for the whole movie.
posted by peep at 8:57 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by peep at 8:57 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: Almost all the cast in The decline of western civilization pt 2 are drunk/drinking to excess or on some drug
posted by plumberonkarst at 11:23 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by plumberonkarst at 11:23 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: It seems like a lot of people were high during the filming of Performance.
posted by gudrun at 11:25 PM on October 27, 2011
posted by gudrun at 11:25 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: If we are doing documentaries, both the films I watched tonight work.
Bastardy. A Documentory about Jack Charles, Australian Aboriginal actor, and homeless heroin addict.
American Movie. Aspiring Filmaker Mark Borchardt becomes quite drunk.
Also probably just about any good music documentary.
posted by St. Sorryass at 11:33 PM on October 27, 2011
Bastardy. A Documentory about Jack Charles, Australian Aboriginal actor, and homeless heroin addict.
American Movie. Aspiring Filmaker Mark Borchardt becomes quite drunk.
Also probably just about any good music documentary.
posted by St. Sorryass at 11:33 PM on October 27, 2011
Best answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Mountain_%281973_film%29
"Jodorowsky was also instructed by Ichazo to take LSD for the purpose of spiritual exploration.[citation needed] He also administered psilocybin mushrooms to his actors during the shooting of the death-rebirth scene.[2]"
posted by ghostbikes at 8:56 AM on October 28, 2011
"Jodorowsky was also instructed by Ichazo to take LSD for the purpose of spiritual exploration.[citation needed] He also administered psilocybin mushrooms to his actors during the shooting of the death-rebirth scene.[2]"
posted by ghostbikes at 8:56 AM on October 28, 2011
Best answer: In the very first episode of the Jay and Silent Bob Get Old Podcast Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes tell funny stories about Jason being drunk and stoned on the set of Clerks. And taking heroin during Mallrats.
posted by K.P. at 2:33 AM on April 15, 2012
posted by K.P. at 2:33 AM on April 15, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by steinsaltz at 3:24 PM on October 27, 2011 [1 favorite]