Chronological coverage updated 3rd October 2026 01:01.
Update 1 · 3rd October 2026
Wild 1990s Movie Secrets Uncovered: Kidnappings, PCP Chowder, and Adult Store Disguise Tests
Kidnap Ransoms and Hurricanes on Romeo + Juliet
The production of the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet in Mexico faced severe disruptions, including set-destroying hurricanes, extreme crew illnesses, and the physical kidnapping of hair and makeup artist Aldo Signoretti.
Buzzfeed reportedly quoted Baz Luhrmann (Director of Romeo + Juliet) as saying: “The hair and makeup person, Aldo Signoretti, who worked with [director Federico] Fellini, was kidnapped. We paid $US300 to get him back. I thought rather a bargain.”.
Romeo + Juliet operated on a budget between $15 million and $17 million, prompting the crew to capture real hurricane weather for Mercutio's death scene instead of relying on digital effects..
The Titanic Mass PCP Poisoning
Filming James Cameron's Titanic brought an unexpected emergency on its final day of shooting in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Dozens of cast and crew members unknowingly ingested seafood chowder spiked with phencyclidine (PCP), leading to widespread hospitalizations.
Approximately 85 crew members were rushed to a hospital emergency room after a pound of PCP was dumped into the set's catering chowder..
Buzzfeed reportedly quoted James Cameron (Director of Titanic) as saying: “This is a 100 percent true story. You haven't lived until you've been high on PCP, which by the way, I do not recommend to anyone.”.
Testing Mrs. Doubtfire in Public
To test the believability of his prosthetics and costume for Mrs. Doubtfire, actor Robin Williams walked into a San Francisco adult store while in character to interact with shop workers.
Buzzfeed reportedly quoted Robin Williams (Lead actor in Mrs. Doubtfire) as saying: “I was dressed as her in San Francisco, and I walked into a sex shop…I tried to buy a double-headed dildo, and I was going, 'That one right there. The big one. Do you have anything without veins? Something without veins would be lovely'…and I can see this guy behind the counter going, 'Whoa, this old lady.'”.
- Director Baz Luhrmann paid $300 to free kidnapped makeup artist Aldo Signoretti during Romeo + Juliet.
- Eighty-five Titanic crew members were hospitalized after consuming PCP-laced chowder.
- Robin Williams tested his Mrs. Doubtfire disguise inside a San Francisco adult boutique.