Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most popular musicals of all time, holding the record for the longest running show in Broadway history. It comes as no surprise, then, that movie studios wanted to make a film adaptation of the musical, which would ultimately be released in 2004.
While the film wasn’t as well-received as the stage show and ended up polarizing fans of the original source material, Joel Schumacher’s film still developed a cult following and helped to introduce a new generation to the grandiosity and magnificence of The Phantom of the Opera.
Emmy Rossum Also Played The Christine Doll
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie concerns a doll in the Phantom’s lair that looks like Christine. Originally, the plan was for this to be a hyper realistic doll that looked like Emmy Rossum.
However, due to the fact that the eyes of the doll didn’t look lifelike enough, the production team had Emmy Rossum stand still and play the doll instead, complete with ‘doll-makeup.’
The Phantom Only Has 14 Non-Singing Lines
Musicals, as is their nature, generally have fewer speaking lines than other movies. The reason for for this is, naturally, that the characters are more likely to sing their thoughts and feelings than to merely speak them.
As a result of this, despite being the title character, the Phantom of the Opera only has 14 lines of dialogue in the movie. Every time he appears onscreen, the Phantom sings whatever he’s feeling at the moment.
There’s A Nod To The Phantom’s Original Weapon
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie was Raoul’s warning to the soldiers to keep their hands at the level of their eyes. The reason for this was actually a very subtle Easter Egg for the book upon which the musical and movie are based.
In the book, the Phantom uses a ‘Punjab Lasso’ (a handheld hangman’s noose that could be swung like a lasso) to kill his victims. Keeping one’s hands at the level of one’s eyes helps to stop the Punjab Lasso from getting a tight grip on someone’s neck.
Michael Jackson Wanted To Be The Phantom
As with any production, several actors were considered for the role of the main lead. Over the course pre-production, actors including Heath Ledger, Hugh Jackman, Antonio Banderas, Meat Loaf, and John Travolta were all considered for the role of the Phantom.
However, the strangest connection to the role of the Phantom was Michael Jackson. The King of Pop allegedly was a huge fan of the production and wanted to play the Phantom. For a number of reasons, none of these casting ideas went anywhere, and Gerard Butler became the film’s star.
Anne Hathaway & Keira Knightley Almost Played Christine
In a similar manner to the casting of the Phantom, several prominent actresses were considered for the role of Christine. The most prominent of which were Keira Knightley and Anne Hathaway.
However, Joel Schumacher was very set on casting Emmy Rossum in the role. Since Hathaway was filming another project in 2004, the role ultimately went to Rossum
Gerard Butler Never Had A Proper Singing Lesson
It’s fairly common for actors to take part in singing lessons if a role requires it. After all, it’s only natural that the actor takes part in lessons so that they can, not only sing better, but also so they can learn to express themselves more convincingly in the musical genre.
However, some may be surprised to learn that Gerard Butler didn’t have a real singing lesson for his role as the titular Phantom. As a result, Gerard Butler admitted that he struggled when singing, especially the song ‘Music of the Night.’ This also led to most of the criticisms, with many citing Butler’s singing as the film’s weakest link.
The Script Was Written In 1989
The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most popular musicals of all time, with the production holding the record for the longest running Broadway musical of all time. Perhaps to lead off the back of this popularity, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Joel Schumacher actually wrote the screenplay in the South of France way back in 1989.
While the screenplay for the movie was finished at the tail end of the ’80s, the film itself didn’t see the light of day until the following century, with the film releasing in 2004.
Ramin Karimloo Was Christine’s Father
Fans of The Phantom of the Opera will recognize Ramin Karimloo as one of the most popular actors to ever take on the role of the Phantom. However, some may be surprised to learn that the actor actually appeared in the movie.
Rather than playing the Phantom, Karimloo was given the role of Christine’s father. This makes Karimloo one of the rare Phantom stars to have played Christine’s father, Raoul, and the Phantom.
The Chandelier Had A Stunt Double
The chandelier is one of the most iconic elements of the The Phantom of the Opera musical. It is the rising of the chandelier that starts the musical and it is through its crashing later on that we learn of the disaster at the opera house. Basically, the chandelier could be considered to be a character all of its own.
The chandelier in the movie was made by Swarovski and weighed over 2.2 tons and cost roughly a million Dollars to make. Due to its massive weight and how impractical and expensive it would be to build another chandelier, it had a stunt double that was used during some of the dangerous and intense scenes.
Emmy Rossum Was Only 17-Years Old When Filming
Emmy Rossum played Christine Daaé, who’s relatively younger than her two male co-stars. Despite the fact that her two love interests, the Phantom and Raoul, were both played by actors in their thirties, Emmy Rossum was only 17.
The age gap between the love interests in terms of the story’s time-setting may not be too surprising, but the fact that Rossum wasn’t even 18 at the time of filming is incredibly shocking to some viewers.
