Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The Shawshank Redemption may be a work of fiction, but one poignant (and apparently poop-filled) scene held a certain aura of authenticity.
According to director Frank Darabont , the “glorious moment” in which Tim Robbins‘ Andy Dufresne escapes from Shawshank State Penitentiary was as treacherous as it appeared on screen, as he told The Daily Beast that they “were out in this horrible little creek that was filled with cow poop.”
“They had to dam the creek to get the water level up and pour sterilizing stuff in there so Tim wouldn’t get some horrible disease,” he recalled. “Actors can be real troopers sometimes because sliding out of that pipe into that muck was so gross. To convey that incredible moment while covered in cow urine? It’s amazing.”
Darabont also credited “a suggestion” from Morgan Freeman — who starred in and narrated the film as Red — for Robbins’ casting.
“We were racking our brains on who could play Andy and he suggested Tim,” he explained. “I rewatched Jacob’s Ladder and thought their chemistry could be interesting because they’re so different. Also Tim’s enigmatic quality… He looks like he’s carrying a secret around with him and that sums up Andy’s character.”
Although both Darabont and Freeman received Oscar nods for their work on the 1994 drama, The Shawshank Redemption picked up no wins at the 1995 awards ceremony.
Nonetheless, Darabont highlighted the way in which the Stephen King film adaptation has sustained its prominence 30 years later, which he deemed “very fascinating and gratifying.” Robbins also acknowledged the “amazing” praise the film has continued to receive since its release in a May 2023 interview with DECIDER, noting that The Shawshank Redemption is “still regarded by so many people on IMDb as their favorite film.”
“And that’s pretty cool. That’s, like, a bucket list thing I can check off,” he added. “I’m in a film that’s beloved by most people in the world? Yeah, that’s good.”
