A couple of weeks ago I was surprisingly contacted by Jordan Peele. Of course, Jordan Peele is the writer and director of the hit 2017 movie Get Out. He invited me to view some deleted scenes and major script changes that happened while filming.
Complete Shock
While he was talking about the production and script changes and showing me around his lovely home, I was surprised to learn that the mother character in the movie, Missy Armitage—played by actress Catherine Keener — was originally cast as a bollard.
Here is a shot from a deleted scene:
Bollard with Dean Armitage (Bradley Whitford)
As you can clearly see, before Catherine Keener was cast as Missy, filming originally began with the bollard actor.
Hypnotize Scene
And here are shots from the now classic scene where Chris Washington (played by Daniel Kaluuya) gets hypnotized by Missy:
Bollard holding tea cup
Chris being hypnotized by the bollard
“Missy” close up
What Happened to the Bollard?
Unfortunately, six days into shooting the film— the whole movie was shot in just 23 days — the bollard was called and had to report for duty at a crash test site.
For the next three days the shooting schedule was altered in order to accommodate the bollard’s absence, however, injuries sustained during the crash tests were too much for the bollard to continue acting in the film.
Recovery
Medical reports state that the bollard would need a minimum of five months of recovery time before doing any strenuous activities like acting, much too long to complete the film’s tight schedule.
Why Catherine Keener?
After learning of the crash test site injuries to the bollard, Jordan Peele happened to be watching The 40-Year-Old Virgin on USA and wondered if “that chick from The 40-Year-Old Virgin” could replace the bollard in Get Out.
Sure enough, she was available and they completed filming the movie and had to re-shoot the scenes they had already shot with the bollard (including the famous hypnotizing scene above).
Fun Fact about Get Out
Daniel Kaluuya was given the lead role on the spot after nailing his audition. Writer, co-Producer, and Director Jordan Peele said Kaluuya did about five takes of a key scene, in which his character needs to cry, and each was so perfect that the single tear came down at the exact same time for each take.
Not sure what a bollard actually is? Find out what is a bollard and learn some cool history.
It’s too bad about the injury to the bollard. It could have really shaken things up in supporting acting categories for the Oscars.
Why couldn’t a bollard replace Bradley Whitford? Bradley had sex with my mom when I was in high school when she was still married and I’ll never forgive him for it. Just a shameful piece of shit who needs to be put down. Ugh. Can’t stand him. Just look at him! Just look!! Awful person who needs to have a bollard stand-in. In fact, I think I’m going to go to work on doing that, just putting a bollard in his place in every scene of every thing he was in, starting with Billy Madison. No, actually, he was just a dick who gets his comeuppance in the end of that one, so I think I’ll leave him be. Same with Get Out. But West Wing, you’re gonna be a lot more bollard-centric once I’m through with you.
I liked the ending.
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Good movie. that chicken is hot.
This is such a good movie!!
This movie is so good every time I watch it.