Weird Wednesday: The Strange History of Leprechaun (1993)
AMC recently revealed its schedule for its annual Fearfest tradition, featuring over “650 hours of iconic horror films, franchises, new series, specials, and more.” On October 10th at 11 am, the Creature Feature marathon begins with the first Leprechaun movie, which launched a franchise of bizarrely unique horror films. To celebrate, here are a few fun facts about the original Leprechaun that you might not know!
- Leprechaun served as Jennifer Aniston’s film debut an entire year before her success on the TV show Friends. The success of Friends later helped boost the movie’s popularity on VHS and DVD (grossing over $15 million), as it was considered a financial flop during its theatrical run.
- TriMark Pictures, the company that produced the film, wanted Aniston on the condition that she would dye her hair blond. Aniston refused, simply stating, “I don’t want to do that”. Leprechaun actor Warwick Davis reassured Aniston that her decision would work out: “They’re not going to shut things down to bleach your hair.” Director Mark Jones also reportedly fought for her role in the movie, immediately recognizing her star power. This gamble paid off, as Aniston kept the role with her light brown hair intact.
- Jones mainly based the idea of the Leprechaun on the Lucky Charms leprechaun, intending to do an evil spin on the character. While the movie’s tone was originally intended to be child-friendly and comedic (Jones described it as “Scooby-Doo-like”), studio executives at TriMark pushed for the darker, R-rated tone that Jones eventually settled on.
- In the credits for the film, George Lucas was referenced in the “special thanks” section. This is due to Warwick being under a contract with Lucas for a sequel to Willow (1988). Lucas personally approved Warwick to star in Leprechaun while Lucasfilm continued to develop Willow 2, which never ended up being made. A reboot would be released on Disney+ many years later.
Will you be watching Leprechaun this FearFest? Are there any other fun facts I forgot to mention? Let me know in the comments!
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