There were many memorable movie moments throughout the 1990s, but the famous pottery scene from Ghost is the one that sticks out the most.
For a generation, this moment has come to represent pure love since it is so romantic and passionate.
Everything about it, including the emotions, chemistry, and music, was flawless. However, what actually took place behind the scenes of this momentous occasion? You might be shocked to learn how many people missed this iconic movie moment.
It’s like going through a collection of cinematic treasures when you look back at all the movies Patrick Swayze starred in. Point Break, The Outsiders, Dirty Dancing, and, of course, Ghost from 1990.
With the aid of psychic Oda (Whoopi Goldberg), the ghost of Sam (Patrick Swayze), a murdered banker, sets out to protect his girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore) from the murderer.
In my opinion, it’s a really great film because of the heartwarming romance, the funny humor, the compelling otherworldly element, and the unexpectedly well-done corporate criminal perspective. You who watched it in theaters will also undoubtedly recall all the sniffles, yes, from both the gals and the guys! genuine feelings from the heart.
Even though this movie is almost flawless, there are still a few little errors and goofs that only the most perceptive viewers will see.
Swayze cried six times
The ensemble met for a press conference at a hotel in Beverly Hills before Ghost’s release. With a True cigarette in hand, Patrick Swayze arrived wearing blue trousers and a basic tee.
He clarified that the bleached blond hair was a transformation made for his next role in the movie Riders on the Storm. Swayze was clearly the center of attention, with a cowboy’s voice and a dancer’s body. He gave several amusing details about the film’s production.
One particularly noteworthy instance was when the actor, who was born in Texas, expressed how much the narrative spoke to him.
“I cried six times when I read the script for Ghost,” he admitted.
He also talked about his determination to land the role. “I felt I had to do this role, and I wanted to get an appointment, but I couldn’t get one. They were going in a different direction with casting. They were going with Kevin Kline,” Swayze said.
“I was going, ‘No!’ Wrong! He can’t do it. He’s going to be funny, and it’s got to be real!”
Swayze quickly added, “Not that he couldn’t make it real. I just felt it needed romance.”
”Over my dead body.”
Having Patrick Swayze play the part did not sit well with director Jerry Zucker.
When Swayze’s representative contacted to convey the Dirty Dancing star’s interest in the main part, he allegedly said, “Over my dead body will Patrick Swayze play this role.”
When asked later if this was true, Zucker responded, “Oh, I don’t think they were my exact words,” but then paused and reconsidered.
“Well, now that I think about it, maybe he’s correct.”
Patrick Swayze’s personal connection
The role in Ghost appealed to Patrick Swayze for a very personal reason: he was reminded of his late father, Don, who was known to everyone as Big Buddy.
In his autobiography, Patrick referred to Don as a “gentle cowboy.”
”I thought of my father being dead and I loved the idea of maybe him being right there with me,” he said.
Swayze later acknowledged that the most difficult character he had ever played was that of Sam Wheat. Being an observer of the action rather than an active participant presented a new challenge that put his acting abilities and emotional range to the test.
How Swayze helped cast Whoopi Goldberg
After securing the lead role in Ghost, Patrick Swayze even participated in several behind-the-scenes scenes, and he undoubtedly stole the show.
Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t originally cast in the role of Oda Mae Brown, but Patrick Swayze was so impressed by her one-woman Broadway performances that he made sure she was cast.
Swayze even went so far as to issue an ultimatum to producer Jerry Zucker.
“I get a phone call from my agent, Ron Meyer, who says, ‘Patrick Swayze has been hired for this movie. Patrick is not going to do this if you don’t do it. Can you make some time for him and the director to come up?’” Goldberg told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024.
After taking a plane to Goldberg, Zucker and Swayze met like old friends. She accepted Swayze’s invitation to do the movie with him after they had been talking for around forty minutes. It all came together in this way.
By the way, Bruce Joel Rubin presented Oda Mae as a genuine psychic in his book Ghost. However, the filmmakers believed it would be far more hilarious if she were a complete fraud who started hearing Sam all of a sudden.
Truth behind the ”dark shadows”
Do you remember the eerie scene where the demons kidnap Carl and Willie? It really frightened me as a child, and I still get chills from it now. Fun fact: the specters sound like they belong in a horror film, thanks to the sound editors’ excellent work.
However, did you realize that the frightful sounds produced by the “dark shadows” are actually infant screams that have been slowed down to an unbelievably slow speed and played backwards?
Unquestionably one of the most eerie scenes in film history!
Demi Moore – cost of success
At the time, Demi Moore was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, and the movie Ghost not only cemented its position in cinematic history but also changed her career.
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Moore was already well-known, but until this role propelled her to new heights, no one thought she was a bankable star. But the milestone had its own set of difficulties. Her record-breaking salary sparked criticism, with critics calling her avaricious and giving her the moniker “Gimme Moore.”
“It was as if I had betrayed men,” Moore reflected, speaking with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
ven years later, she struggled to understand the backlash that followed her success. “It’s interesting that the choice to take me down came when I became the highest-paid. Why did that happen at that exact moment?”
Swayze chewed ice
There were particular difficulties in filming Ghost’s thrilling pursuit sequence, particularly on chilly New York City evenings. Patrick Swayze, who played Sam Wheat, had a different issue while the rest of the cast and crew were wrapped up against the cold.
The producers wanted to make sure Sam’s breath wouldn’t be visible in the chilly air because he was a ghost and that may destroy the illusion. In order to prevent Swayze’s breath from appearing during filming, they had him chew ice beforehand.
The pottery scene
Unquestionably, one of the most famous and romantic scenes in film history is the pottery scene in Ghost. Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) created a romantic moment with their hands linked that has come to represent passion and connection. It feels like the most romantic sequence ever filmed, and the lovely soundtrack, Unchained Melody, further heightens the magic.
It’s interesting to note that many people are unaware that the scene was initially intended to be followed by a floor sex scene.
However, the filmmakers came to the realization that the pottery moment was all they really needed after giving it some thought. Less is more in some situations!
As director Jerry Zucker recalls, “We decided to cut it after I interviewed about twelve body doubles for Demi.”
The pot actually broke
Here are a few more interesting, little-known details regarding Ghost’s pottery scene!
In the beginning, Patrick Swayze claimed that it was the sexiest thing he had ever done for a movie.
And here’s something I didn’t know: the sequence wasn’t supposed to conclude with the pot breaking, but it did so while Swayze and Demi Moore were filming! They continued without stopping, and it became one of the most famous scenes in movie history. Quite awesome, isn’t it?
Pottery scene goof you probably missed
Sam and Molly become completely coated in clay, up to their elbows, while they are experimenting with the pottery wheel! However, their arms and hands are immaculate in the subsequent romantic scene.
I suppose a little tidying up is part of the charm of love. A small mistake that most people probably missed.
Unchained Melody exploded
Officially, Ghost is older than Unchained Melody was at the time of the movie’s inclusion. Do you feel old yet?
The Righteous Brothers recorded the song in 1965, and its popularity skyrocketed with the 1990 release of the movie. Fans were frantically rushing to purchase the single, and radio stations were inundated with demands to play the timeless song.
The sole issue? The demand caught several record stores completely off guard! People ended up purchasing the Greatest Hits by the Righteous Brothers in order to obtain Unchained Melody after the movie’s soundtrack ran out. Bonus: they were able to hear the song “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” which was included in the popular movie Top Gun.
The closing credits
This small error most likely went unnoticed by most people, but who am I to pass judgment? However, if you rewatch the film and remain until the end credits roll, look out for a humorous mishap.
It is incorrect to spell “Cemetery Ghost.” Cemetary Ghost is listed in the credits, but CEMETERY is the proper spelling. I’m sorry!
When Sam gets shot
After a criminal named Willie Lopez ambushes Sam and Molly, Sam tragically ends up shot and killed.
The dramatic image where Molly cradles Sam in her arms while his blood soaks her sleeves is likely still vivid in the minds of many viewers. Her sleeves, however, seem oddly clean when we see her at the police station later.
Although this may not have been deliberate, there is a plausible explanation: given the circumstances, it is possible that the police instructed her to tidy up before her interview.
It’s one of those minor touches that most viewers probably didn’t notice.
These oddball antics contribute to the charm that makes Ghost so memorable, from the unintentional pot breaking in the pottery wheel scene to the police station cleanup miracle.