10 Things Nicolas Cage Fans Didn’t Know About 2013’s The Frozen Ground

Nicolas Cage. Vanessa Hudgens. John Cusack. This could have been the love triangle in a romantic comedy, but when they signed on for the horror drama based on a true story, The Frozen Ground, they signed up to play a detective, a prostitute, and a serial killer, respectively.

Fans of Cage got what they paid for: the chameleon actor, large and in charge, left no stone unturned to catch Cusack before he strikes again. Hudgens is the lone victim to get away, and she partners with Nic to close the case.

The movie appears very straight forward, but like all productions, it’s the behind-the-scenes info that’s sometimes just as or even more interesting than what’s on screen.

10 They Really Shot In Alaska

No Hollywood backlot and no location in Canada or the midwestern United States could pass as the 49th state, known as The Last Frontier.

To do justice to the true crime story, they filmed where it occurred: Anchorage, a place not geared up for big movie productions. Director Scott Walker said, “We actually had to load three huge trucks in L.A., drive them to Seattle, [then] put them on a barge for four days.”

He had waited five months to actually shoot the film at a very certain time of the year when at first there’d be no snow, then the weather would change.

9 The Actors Had To Rough It

There were blizzards during the production, and while the director and crew were dressed in 700-count down jackets and snow boots, the cast were in just normal street clothes for their characters’ wardrobe.

Nic said he looked at Scott in his warm outerwear like, “Wow! I wish I could be you right now.” Of the minus-10 weather, Vanessa added: “It was just so extreme, but it worked.  I mean, it put on that extra edge that you could actually use in the scenes, so it worked out.”

8 Cage’s Character Was Based On A Real Detective

Cage played Alaskan State Trooper, Sgt. Jack Halcombe, who was a combo of several of the arresting officers, but primarily Detective Glenn Flothe, who led the manhunt. “I view the man as a hero, a real one,” said the Gone In 60 Seconds star. Because he did not take playing the role lightly, Cage spent about 3 hours interviewing the detective.

The takeaway: Nic’s character would not let the killer get in his head, which would interfere with his job performance. The on-screen lawman was vigilant, and kept going–at the expense of his family life–until Hansen was behind bars.

7 Vanessa Was Impressed With The Real Teen Survivor

Hudgens plays a 17-year-old street girl named Cindy Paulson who she met with to prepare for the role, which she described as an emotional rollercoaster. The High School Musical star spoke of “how brave she was to open up to me and Scott.  She told us stuff that she’s never told anyone else before.”

Vanessa successfully captured the real Cindy’s strength and fighting spirit, as well as her child-like wonderment that was not lost despite all the young woman had gone through.

6 John Cusack Was In Need Of A Challenge

The Say Anything antihero, trying to distance himself from romantic comedies for which he became known, chose one of the darkest roles of his career: Robert Hansen, a murderer who’d gone unnoticed for 13 years and is now serving a 461-year prison sentence.

Despite the numerous atrocities that the serial killer committed in the film, Cusack and Walker dedicated themselves to making sure John’s portrayal wasn’t sensationalized and reflected the real person.

“We would spend hours discussing each scene and each line and how to deliver those lines so that Hansen didn’t seem to be over-the-top, which isn’t true to how [he] was,” stated Walker.

5 Vanessa Didn’t Learn To Pole-Dance

“I went out to a couple of strip clubs and hung out with the dancers to feel out their environment,” to get into her role as a pole dancer, but didn’t take any classes.

“Don’t be good,” was the direction from Scott Walker. It was her character’s first time in front of the men waving their dollar bills and a very vulnerable moment for “Cindy.” She was supposed to be clumsy and raw. “It wasn’t supposed to be choreographed or rehearsed,” added the actress.

4 Nic And John Were Old Friends

The two force of nature actors had worked together in Con Air. Cage called Cusack “a formidable talent with a remarkable sense of humor,” but the two didn’t spend much time together off camera. Scott kept them apart, with no rehearsal, so that when they did their scenes together, as Nicolas put it, “there would be this electricity in the room.”

He had no idea what John was going to bring to the scenes, but said: “I knew working with John, there were going to be some surprises.”

3 They Almost Shot At The Actual Crime Scene

Walker wanted to film in the actual basement–which hasn’t changed in 26 years–where the real Cindy was held captive and assaulted before she escaped from Hansen. He sought her blessing to shoot there and she said, “I think the world should see the real room that he did this to me in.”

In the end, they chose not to shoot there for logistical reasons, but the space was recreated by the production designer via photos. “His team had done such an amazing job following the details of that room,” Walker pointed out.

2 The Real Killer Was Refused A Say

From his prison cell, Robert Hansen sent a message via his lawyers and troopers to Scott Walker basically denying everything and said a lot of things which were untrue. The director said no to making contact. He didn’t want to give the convicted criminal a platform or the opportunity to try and influence the story.

Said Walker: “It showed much more about who he was and still is today.” And that is a person who has never shown any remorse. His depiction was based on all of the transcripts, all the case files, all the psychological analysis, and FBI training manuals profiling serial rapists.

1 Nic Gained Perspective On “Throwaway” Kids

“I became a big believer in the severity of justice, because I do genuinely worry about children, and there’s a great line in the script where I say, ‘She’s someone’s kid.  She’s somebody’s kid.’  And that’s how I feel about it,” said the National Treasure star.

His co-worker agreed. Walker said: “They’re not prostitutes.  They’re someone’s daughter… mother… sister. But the most important thing was that they have faces, that they are real people, and they’re not just glorified as a cliché stripper who gets killed like we’ve seen in so many films.”