There are some great Bill Pullman movies, many of which are still enjoyed by audiences today. But none are quite like the 1995 supernatural family classic, Casper. The film follows the eponymous friendly ghost, who haunts a mansion in Maine and befriends the young teen (Christina Ricci) that moves there. In the film, Pullman played the young lady's dad, who is doubtful of the ghostly presence in their abode until he encounters it himself. The movie was experimental at the time, as it utilized early technology we now know as CGI to create the ghosts. And, due to the tech being new and underdeveloped, Steven Spielberg gave Pullman a warning about watching his movements on the film.
A specific scene in Casper sees Bill Pullman on a staircase, sword fighting with the ghosts. The scene was quite tricky to film, as the While You Were Sleeping actor was expected to execute fight choreography without a battle partner present. The plan was to put the ghosts into the film in post production. This is common practice now and is frequently used in films that require a less-than-human character. However, at the time, it was very difficult and incredibly expensive to pull off. Steven Spielberg, who was an executive producer on the film, warned Pullman about costing the movie excess money. Pullman told Variety:
Really, the sword fight with the ghosts, the three uncles, is up a huge staircase. I just had a toilet plunger that I was battling them with, but it was in the early days of CGI. In those days I would have to do this elaborate choreography with nothing there, but taking those stop points off of aspects of the room. And if I didn't do it right, if I moved it through something where a ghost was supposed to be it was $100,000. This is what Spielberg said, 'Be very careful Bill, because you could bankrupt us.'
That’s a lot of pressure, especially for an actor who hadn’t performed opposite CGI before. With the advanced technology used for movies now, there’s a lot more room for error. A lot can be corrected in post production, so a star can more so focus on their performance. However, the classic '90s flick was somewhat of a testing ground, with the cast having to essentially adapt on the fly. Despite Casper’s occasionally nonsensical plot, the movie was a box office hit, grossing over $250 million. So, ultimately, one would think that Steven Spielberg and co.'s risky investment paid off.
Having the Jaws director on as an EP was surely invaluable for the Brad Silberling-helmed production. The auteur was a pioneer of visual effects, helping to facilitate one of its first ever large-scale uses in Jurassic Park. The dinosaur epic was a turning point for filmmaking of this kind, and it naturally led to directors wanting to experiment with it themselves. The staircase scene alone used more CGI than the entirety of JP. Steven Spielberg’s knowledge was crucial on a logistical level, as well as financial, as he was abundantly aware of how costly it could be. Hence, the warning to Bill Pullman.
All in all, the team was able to make it work and the Sleepless in Seattle star's movements are spot on. The scene still holds up today, and you can’t even tell the Spaceballs actor was worried about his footwork and the production cost. In the modern days of Avatar and Marvel movies, it’s hard to imagine a world in a producer would have to worry about the placement of a sword so much as to send a warning to an actor. I’d love to hear Bill Pullman compare Casper to the CGI-heavy Independence Day: Resurgence, in which he also starred. Chances are there probably wasn’t a $100,000 production budget concern.
You can revisit Bill Pullman’s performance in Casper, which is currently available to rent on Amazon.
