25+ Behind-the-Scenes Photos That Reveal the Real Magic Behind Iconic Movies

You wouldn't believe how many movies of yore involved heavy use of tiny little miniature models. E.T. seemed so real on-screen, how many times did you even think that you may have been looking at a tiny little model essentially standing on a diorama? Of course, there were some scenes where a much bigger E.T. was used, but whenever possible, this little guy probably took the limelight — it's a lot easier to manage a tiny model than a really big one, after all!

Acting may not seem like a very demanding job to some people, but make no mistake, a lot of effort goes into it — even in the physical realm. Have you seen some of the outfits actors have to parade around in? Needless to say, actors on set take breaks whenever they can get them. In fact, they may even do so in one big group. Here we can see the cast of The Handmaid's Tale taking a rest under a tree, all as one. They've likely earned that rest after a hard day's work!

Many people believe that actors just run around doing whatever a director tells them to do without question, but a good director communicates with their cast to ensure that everyone knows what is happening and that they can do their best. So, you often see images such as this one behind the scenes, with actress Julia Roberts (playing Tinkerbell) discussing something of importance with director Steven Spielberg on the set of Hook from 1991.

A lot of work goes into props and sets to ensure the audience feels like the things they're being shown are truly real. That said, it would be a real shame if it all got taken down before anyone could see it off of the big screen. That's why actors often take pictures of things if they're allowed to. CGI makes up a lot of movie magic, but as we can see in this selfie from Florence Pugh on the set of Midsommar, a lot of that magic is real practical effects too.

CGI is a huge part of modern movies and television. Normal props go a long way, but some things can only be achieved with computer animation. It usually looks great in the final product, but during the actual filmmaking, it actually looks a little silly. As you can imagine, a lot of movies have actors doing their thing with nothing but green screens as a backdrop, as we can see in this behind the scene filming from the series WandaVision. It's impressive how actors can perform when they have to use their imagination alone!