JERICHO, N.Y., May 3, 2002 – BACKSTORY: CAST AWAY, premiering Monday, May 6 at 10:00 PM (ET), reveals how shooting the tale of one man's survival became a lesson in fortitude for the cast and crew alike. Interviews with actors Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt, director Robert Zemeckis and various crew members recount the perils and problems of bringing this film to the big screen.
BACKSTORY: CAST AWAY examines the grueling production journey. Hanks had to gain 40 pounds and then lose 50 by the end of filming, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Shark infestation off the Fiji Islands, an infected leg wound, countless terrifying and difficult filming sequences and a rigorous schedule ran Hanks through a physical and emotional gauntlet. The crew was faced with the challenge of protecting one of Hollywood's most elite actors while producing a realistic and captivating film. While Hanks shed the extra pounds, production took a year-long hiatus during which Zemeckis and other CAST AWAY crew members filmed What Lies Beneath, the suspense thriller starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Prior to the CAST AWAY release, the reality-based TV series Survivor had become an overnight success. Cast and crew members were concerned the topic of survival was no longer fresh. However, any doubts about the film's potential were quickly put to rest as CAST AWAY grossed $40 million in its opening weekend, proving that hard work and persistence had paid off.
CAST AWAY (2000) starred Tom Hanks as Chuck Noland, a FedEx Corp. troubleshooter who is stranded on a South Pacific island after a deadly plane crash. Alone for four years, Noland underwent a transformation as he learned to survive in a world without the clocks, regimen and routine that had previously defined his existence. Hanks conceived of the film in 1994 after hearing the writer Louis L'Amour recount being shipwrecked on a deserted island.
BACKSTORY is AMC's award-winning weekly series that shines a spotlight on the defining moments in a film's creation. Cast members, directors, producers and other Hollywood players provide revealing inside "backstories" about the events that affected each film, its success and its stars.
Executive Producer for BACKSTORY: CAST AWAY is Kevin Burns. The episode was produced by Prometheus Entertainment and Foxstar Productions in association with Fox Television Studios and AMC. Jessica Falcon is executive producer for AMC.
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