The one about the guy who swam through poo ...

As far as iconic movie moments go, the image of Andy Dufresne standing in the rain after his triumphant prison break is surely near the top. With pitch-perfect casting, heart-wrenching moments, a breathtaking plot twist, and a satisfying ending, The Shawshank Redemption became an instant classic after its 1994 release.

Maybe you saw it for the first time in the theater. If you’re like me, you watched it approximately 1,000 times on TNT, which seemed to air it on repeat during the ‘90s and early ‘00s.

But did you know …

1. It all started with a woman in a room.

Not literally. In 1984, screenwriter and director Frank Darabont had adapted Stephen King’s short story, “The Woman in the Room,” into a film. King was impressed by his work. So, when Darabont wanted to adapt King’s other short story, “Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption,” he obliged and Darabont paid King only $5,000 to do so.

2. Irish was in his blood … kinda.

Morgan Freeman put together an iconic performance playing Red in the movie. However, Freeman’s performance wasn’t entirely accurate. His character in the original short story was a red-headed Irishman. In the movie, they pay a little homage to this when Andy asks Red the origin of his name, and Red sarcastically replies, “Maybe it’s because I’m Irish.”

3. The voiceover is Scorsese’s fault.

Freeman’s voiceover throughout the film is iconic. However, had it not been for another iconic film, it may have never come to fruition. 

Darabont was a big fan of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, so much so that he would watch it on Sundays while working on the movie, and it was a huge inspiration for his own film’s voiceover. Not a bad film to emulate.

4. I’ve got a need. A need for … prison?

It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Andy Dufresne and Red besides Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. However, Rob Reiner offered Darabont $2.5 million for the script, and he wanted to cast Tom Cruise as Andy and Harrison Ford as Red. We can all thank Darabont for not giving into Reiner’s millions. 

5. Thanks, but I have bigger things to do.

As for Darabont, he had a couple soon-to-be stars originally cast in the flick who ended up dropping out. A young Brad Pitt was cast in the role of Johnny, but moved on once Thelma and Louise shot him to stardom and he joined Tom Cruise for Interview With The Vampire. And for the role of Bogs, James Gandolfini was their original choice, but he pulled out once he landed a role in True Romance.

6. If it hadn’t been for a kid in braces …

Shawshank was up for some serious hardware in 1995, including seven Oscar nominations. Among those were Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. However, a little movie by the name of Forrest Gump snatched those away from Andy and the gang. Oh, and Pulp Fiction came out that year, too. Needless to say, they had some seriously stiff competition.

Although the Academy might not have thought the movie was worthy of a Best Picture win, fans have had a different say. According to IMDB.com, Shawshank Redemption is the number one movie of all-time with a rating of 9.3 stars out of a possible 10. And who’s in 12th place? Forrest — Forrest Gump.

7. Not one, but two Freemans.

You may not have known it at the time, but you met Morgan Freeman’s son, Alfonso, in the movie.

At the beginning of the film, there is a mugshot of young Red. That isn’t an old photo of Freeman that got a little editing — it’s actually a photo of his son. Instead of trying to find a way to doctor an old photo, they just had his son stand in and snap a photo for them. Thank goodness for strong genes.

8. That’s an expensive Bible.

Remember the Bible that Andy used to hide his little rock hammer? Well, it became a highly sought out collectible. In 2022, that Holy Bible sold in an online auction for $443,000. I wonder how much Andy could’ve stretched that cash in Zihuatanejo?

9. So who was Allen Greene?

At the end of the film, there’s a line stating that the film was dedicated to Allen Greene. To the average moviegoer, that name may not ring a bell, but to Darabont, Greene was a very special figure. Greene was his first agent in the film industry and ended up passing before the film was completed.

10. That river was toxic.

You’re probably wondering what river, since this was shot almost entirely in a prison. But if you remember how Andy escaped, it was through a “river of shit.”

Come to find out, that pool of water that Andy drops into after he pops out of the pipe was a farm runoff. Although the actual pipe was safe to crawl through, the water he ended up in had a lot of toxins in it, according to Tim Robbins. The crew even brought in a local chemistry expert to test the water, and yep, he confirmed that it wasn’t safe.

The crew promised him a warm shower if he filmed the scene. Let’s hope they followed through on their deal. For Robbins’ sake.

Facing down a (hopefully metaphorical) river of shit? Forward this to your Red, then get busy living or get busy dying.

Editorial: Nick & Ashley
Illustration: Nick