Stargate

Top 10 Fun Facts

1. And you thought YOU were underpaid: to save money, the crew used mannequins and stick figures draped in fabric for many of the crowd scenes, as paid extras were just too expensive.
2. After receiving much publicity for The Crying Game, actor Jaye Davidson wasn't prepared to star in another film. But he didn't want to turn down a job offer, either, so he demanded $1 million to play Ra - and the studio agreed. Remember this tactic at your next interview.
3. Even after securing a million dollar payday, Davidson proved to be somewhat difficult on set. He refused to remove his nipple rings, so the wardrobe and cinematography departments had to work around them. If only George Clooney had pulled the same stunt while filming Batman and Robin.
4. "We're going streaking!" When his final day of filming wrapped, Davidson ripped off his much-hated costume on the spot and walked around the set naked. That guy just loves an unexpected full monty.
5. If parts of the first scene seem familiar to you, that's because it was filmed on the same Yuma, Arizona set as Rambo: First Blood Part II.
6. Ditto for the mountain entrance to the facility that holds the stargate - it's also the entrance to NORAD in WarGames.
7. The ring-shaped stargate prop was originally painted black, but it came off looking like a great big tire - so it was promptly re-painted in silver.
8. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin claim they combined two separate film ideas to create Stargate. Emmerich's was about a spaceship buried beneath the pyramids in Egypt, while Devlin described his as "Lawrence of Arabia on another planet."
9. Someone out there disagrees with #8: Egyptology student Omar Zuhdi sued Emmerich and Devlin, claiming he had submitted the idea for Stargate to them ten years prior. The issue was settled out of court, so you be the judge.
10. Put this one in your back pocket in case you're ever on Jeopardy!: this was the first film ever to have an official website.

Cast

Crew