Although its trailers misled some viewers into thinking they’d be watching a Fast & Furious-style action movie, Nicolas Winding Refn’s slick neo-noir masterpiece Drive stands as one of the finest films of the decade. Ryan Gosling proved he was more than just a Hollywood heartthrob with his dark, conflicted turn as the Driver.
Adapted by Hossein Amini from James Sallis’ novel, Drive tells the story of a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver and gets caught up with an ex-convict when he falls for his long-suffering wife. Here are 10 fascinating details from the making of Drive.
10 Originally Planned As A Big-Budget Blockbuster Starring Hugh Jackman
When the producers of Drive initially bought the film rights to James Sallis’ novel, it was planned as a starring vehicle for Hugh Jackman. The movie was going to be a big-budget blockbuster, with Neil Marshall set to direct.
The production became much darker and smaller-scale when Jackman dropped out and Nicolas Winding Refn became attached with Ryan Gosling in the lead role.
9 Bryan Cranston Came Up With His Character’s Death
Bryan Cranston was one of the first actors chosen for the cast of Drive because Nicolas Winding Refn was a big fan of Breaking Bad. Unfortunately, lots of filmmakers were watching Breaking Bad at the time and Cranston was fielding a ton of offers.
Refn called Cranston while he was mulling over taking the role, and this enthusiasm went a long way toward him accepting it. Cranston improvised a lot of his dialogue in Drive and even came up with the specific way that his character would die during a script reading at Refn’s apartment.
8 A Woman Sued The Producers Of Drive Because The Trailers Sold It As An Action Movie
The trailers for Drive used the movie’s brief few shots of vehicular action to insinuate that it was a car-based action thriller in the vein of Gone in 60 Seconds or Fast & Furious.
Some moviegoers went into Drive expecting to see an action movie and when they were treated to a subdued crime drama akin to Taxi Driver, they were furious. One woman in particular was so furious that she sued the producers.
7 The Driver And Irene Originally Shared More Dialogue
Despite the fact that Drive is, at its core, a love story between the Driver and Irene, the two characters hardly share any dialogue. They originally shared a lot more lines, but Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan felt that the relationship should be conveyed more non-verbally, and refused to say a lot of their lines.
6 The Screenwriter And Some Of The Actors Lived With Nicolas Winding Refn During Filming
Director Nicolas Winding Refn invited screenwriter Hossein Amini to move into the attic of his L.A. apartment while he was shooting Drive so that they could work on the script between filming days.
Refn also invited the cast members to move in, and among the actors who took him up on the offer was Carey Mulligan. The director held script readings at his apartment and also edited the movie there.
5 We Owe The Movie To REO Speedwagon
The first meeting between Nicholas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling went horribly. Refn was feeling sick, and Gosling took this as a sign that he wasn’t taking too kindly to him. On the drive home, it seemed as though the movie was off and they wouldn’t be working together.
But then, an REO Speedwagon song came on the radio and Refn told Gosling that Drive would be a movie about a guy driving around L.A. listening to pop music in his car. If the song hadn’t come on, Drive probably wouldn’t have been made — at least not with the double whammy of Refn and Gosling.
4 The Head-Stomping Scene Was Originally Even More Graphic
Originally, Drive’s notorious head-stomping scene was even more graphic than it appears in the final cut. Nicolas Winding Refn met with filmmaker Gaspar Noé, who’d shot a similar scene for Irréversible, to discuss how to make the scene more gruesome and realistic.
However, when the movie first went in front of ratings boards, they were stunned by the scene and forced Refn to cut down the violence.
3 Christina Hendricks’ Role Was Supposed To Be Played By A Porn Star
Blanche was played by Christina Hendricks, but she was originally supposed to be played by a porn star. Nicolas Winding Refn felt that casting someone in the adult film industry would bring a layer of authenticity to the character, but he couldn’t find a porn star with the raw acting talent necessary.
Hendricks was cast after Refn’s wife saw some pictures of her and thought she was beautiful. Despite her prominent billing, Hendricks only appears in a couple of scenes.
2 Ryan Gosling Did A Lot Of The Driving Stunts Himself
In the end credits of Drive, you’ll see the names of a number of stunt drivers being credited. However, Ryan Gosling actually did a lot of the driving stunts himself. Before filming, he took part in a crash course in driving stunt cars and aced it so that he could play the Driver in the action scenes as well as the quieter scenes.
1 The Film Was Inspired By Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Nicolas Winding Refn was inspired to make Drive as a fairy tale set in Los Angeles based on readings of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. In his eyes, the Driver was the hero of a traditionally dark fairy tale.
Refn also took inspiration from such classic thrillers as Point Blank, Thief, The Driver, and Two-Lane Blacktop, while the cinematography was heavily influenced by Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterful crime films.
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