The Making of Spud the Movie

And How A Wickedly Splendid Plan Came Together

10 of several other brilliant things you'll never know about Spud The Movie unless you read this book: 1. That John van de Ruit has a small cameo in the movie, for which he had to cultivate an authentic '90s look; 2. What unusual skill John Cleese and his chaperon on the movie set had in common; 3. Whose hair and eyebrows had to be dyed daily for his role as one of the Crazy Eight; 4. That it took eight days to shoot the nightswimming sequences and only three hours to shoot the actual swimming in the dam; 5. How director Donovan Marsh earned the nickname 'Stonewall'; 6. Why the authors of this book could be considered magnets for disasters of huge proportions, natural and otherwise; 7. How Troye Sivan fell victim to adolescence and nearly scuppered the movie; 8. Why Sir Tim Rice of Lion King fame was spotted lurking in the Midlands during the shoot; 9. That unless his shoes are in view, John Cleese performs most of his scenes in evening slippers; 10. What Hugh Grant might have said upon receiving Spud the screenplay. Author of the bestselling Spud series of books, John van de Ruit and movie producer Ross Garland offer a real insider's view into the journey that began with a book about a young boy struggling for acceptance at boarding school and ended with bringing the Crazy Eight and their legendary exploits explosively to life on the big screen. From raising the money to finding the stars, and shooting on set at the school where the dream began, this is an invaluable souvenir for existing and new Spud fans.