Hidden Details and Fun Facts About The Shawshank Redemption

Working With A Bird

In the scene where Andy arrives at the library to start his new role as Brooks’ assistant, Brooks’ pet crow, Jake, can be heard squawking. To film this moment, Tim Robbins had to carefully time his line, “Hey Jake, where’s Brooks?” so the bird wouldn’t interrupt him. Over time, Robbins became attuned to the bird’s squawking patterns, allowing him to anticipate its noises and deliver his lines seamlessly—a skill director Frank Darabont praised him for. If you watch closely, you’ll notice Robbins focusing intently on the bird, waiting for it to squawk before speaking his line.

The Scene That Took Nine Hours To Shoot

In the scene when Andy and Red converse for the first time, Red is throwing a baseball back and forth with Heywood. Although it may be a rather basic scene, it was anything but basic to shoot. The brief conversation took a grueling nine hours to film with Freeman throwing a baseball the entire time. Yet, he didn’t complain and threw the baseball every time that the camera was on. The following day, Freeman showed up on set with a sling because of the damage caused to his shoulder.