Hollywood is always itching for a good love story, so when rumors started flying around of a possible romantic affair between a movie’s top cast, it spread like wildfire. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, no doubt, became the start of what the media would later term Brangelina — one of Hollywood’s famous power couples.
From the watchful eyes of outsiders, a movie is only as big as its success at the box office. Yet, it is the nitty-gritty of the movie’s storyline, production, location shoots, and cast that determine the success. Don’t get it wrong; Mr. & Mrs. Smith was also a box office success, making $487.3 million with a budget of $110 million.
However, we’re all about the behind the scene events that made this movie one of the most talked about in 2005. So, here are little-known or unknown things about 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
From MFA Thesis to Movie Script
Simon Kinberg is credited as the movie’s writer, yet not many know he began the script as part of his MFA thesis. Kinberg admits that he started writing the storyline for the movie when he was studying to obtain a Master of Fine Arts degree at Columbia University.
Kinberg would go on to write, produce, or direct some of Hollywood’s highest-grossing movies like the X-Men series, Jumper, Sherlock Holmes, Fantastic Four, The 355, etc.
Kinberg says the idea for the script was from real-life marriage counseling. He had heard about some of his friend’s marriage counseling classes, which came off as aggressive and toxic.
A Movie with Countless Endings
Credit: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
When you got a movie with the amount of behind-the-scenes buzz that Mr. & Mrs. Smith was getting at the time, it’s only normal to want a befitting ending. For the movie’s director, Doug Liman, that meant creating over 40 possible endings.
Although there was nothing entirely wrong with Kinberg’s original ending, Liman wanted to explore possible options. To this end, he hired several writers, including Carrie Fisher, to produce alternate endings.
An Impossible Sequel Script
As is common in Hollywood, when a movie has enjoyed remarkable success, it begs for a sequel. And so, when the movie fans, as well as fans of Brangelina, longed to see them in action, plans were actually put in place to make it happen.
The only setback was that even the movie stars were not sold on the new storyline. Angelina Jolie, in an interview, admitted the possible storylines for a sequel that she has seen weren’t extraordinary to stand out. Who could blame? For a movie that tried out 40+ endings, it’s almost next to impossible to find something perfect enough for a full movie sequel. Maybe in another life, just maybe.
A Paparazzi Problem
As far as most Hollywood celebrities and A-list stars are concerned, paparazzi are a nuisance. So, when rumors of on-set romance started spreading, droves of paparazzi would flock to the set. But, for most of the stars on set, especially Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, this was a casual Monday.
For producers and directors, it was a huge problem. One of the movie’s producers, Akiva Goldsman, once shared that the paparazzi problem was so much that reporters were often caught on film. Conscious efforts had to be taken to remove them to make the final cut digitally.
Jolie’s Window Jump Stunt
Credit: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Not every actor is Tom Cruise or Jackie Chan, but once in a while, some actors love to perform their stunts. It kind of adds to the thrill of the movie. So, when the opportunity came in the movie for Jolie to jump out of the window in style, she jumped on it.
Pulling a jump stunt is no easy task, even for a professional stuntman. Jolie said things didn’t exactly go as planned when she tried to perform the stunt the first time. When she did the first jump, her coat flew off before she realized she wasn’t wearing pants. Oops!
A Strange Hobby
Credit: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Movie stars are like ordinary everyday folks with interesting hobbies. Some love to ride horses, play golf, or spend ridiculous amounts of time in the gym. For Angelina Jolie, one of her hobby is knives. Not just having a unique collection but throwing them.
That’s more than enough skill needed to play Mrs. Smith in the movie. She admits she bought most of the time during her stay in Cambodia and had a room in her UK home dedicated to her knife collection. While the movie has aged well for over 15 years, her knife-throwing abilities certainly haven’t. Stay safe out there!
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