Groovy Secrets From The Set Of Austin Powers You've Been Dying To Know

<div><p>Austin Powers is the best "International Man Of Mystery" in the world. His ability to fight off Dr. Evil while also making the ladies swoon is unparalleled. These are just the facts. After being cryogenically frozen, travelling through time not once but twice, what is there left for him to do? Well, hopefully a lot. </p><div><figure><amp-anim src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/austin-powers-come-again.gif" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-anim></figure></div><p>Mike Myers, creator and star of the Austin Powers franchis,e is still open to a fourth installment even though it's been well over a decade since the last movie, but he is waiting for the right idea. </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/PVqSFGf.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>He wrote the original as a tribute after his father passed away. He says that "I would love to do another, but you just have to see. I was devastated by my father's death. But to have that turn into something that makes people happy is unbelievably satisfying. It's that kind of stuff you never get used to or get tired of." &nbsp;</p><p>Director of the film Jay Roach says that "We have talked about [making a fourth movie] for 15 years. We have also always said we don't want to do it unless we came up with something that lived up to the concepts in our mind. Until Mike feels like he has a concept that earns a fourth, it won't happen. But if it did, we have all agreed that we would be delighted to get back into it." </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/ap4.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>It's nice to know they won't make it unless it's awesome, but for now we were lucky enough to <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/austin-powers-definitive-oral-history-mike-myers-jay-roach-more-reveal-secrets-997139">get a few secrets</a> from the set from the original cast and crew who made the classic comedy. </p><h3>The movie had to be edited because of Princess Diana's death</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/austin-powers-international-man-of-mystery.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>The movie was coming out September 5th in the UK and because Princess Diana had just passed away, they had to make some last minute changes. There was a joke in the original cut where Dr. Evil was blackmailing the royal family, but they cut it to be more sensitive to the family. </p><h3>Some of the characters are based off of Monty Python</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/fembot.png" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>The director used the Monty Python and the Holy Grail characters from the Castle Anthrax to inspire the fembots. </p><p></p><div align="center" data-freestar-ad="__336x280 __789x280" id="throwbacks_articles_incontent _1"> </div><p></p><h3>Dr. Evil's voice is based off someone Myers knows really well</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/dr-evil.png" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Myers explained his process of making the voice of Dr. Evil by explaining a scene in the movie, "I always loved the "We're not so different, you and I" scene. That was the main reason I wanted to play both Austin and Dr. Evil. The Dr. Evil voice is a little bit Lorne Michaels, there are no two ways about it, but there is a lot more Donald Pleasence in there than Lorne. Lorne has a pinky thing, but he doesn't do it anymore."</p><h3>Myers wrote a role specifically for Robert Wagner</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/AustinPowers_102Pyxurz.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>The role of Number Two was always intended for Robert Wagner and luckily he was on board right away. "The script hit the door, I read it and I just thought it was fabulous. It was a very provocative, dangerous thing to do, and I just embraced it from the beginning."</p><h3>Mimi Rogers almost wasn't Mrs. Kensington</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/AustinPowers_043Pyxurz.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>It's hard to imagine anyone else as Austin Power's original sidekick, but Mini Rogers was initially supposed to play Alotta Fagina. she says that "Initially, they were talking to me about playing Alotta Fagina, but I was doing something where the dates couldn't work. So it ended up being Mrs. Kensington."</p><h3>There are so many more secrets about the making of this classic, check out the next page to see which scenes were improvised and which took FOREVER to film.</h3><p></p><h3>The first scene shot was the therapy scene</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/austin-powers-international-man-of-mystery-1997.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>According to Seth Green who plays Dr. Evil's son Scott, "The first day we shot was the therapy session with Carrie Fisher. When I walked into the trailer, Mike was getting his head shaved and somewhere in my mind I said, "Oh, he's really committed to this part, and this is going to be a great." I was really excited about that. Seeing him get his head shaved put me at ease."</p><p></p><h3>The iconic "shh" scene was improvised</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/maxresdefault-18-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>The director says that shooting the table scenes were great because they would all improvise, " I had already shot Mike's side for that scene and I needed to shoot Seth's side. Then Mike started shushing Seth, and I thought I have to go back and shoot the other side, which is going to cost us a half day, but it's just too funny to not do."</p><h3>Tom Arnold improvised a few of his lines as well</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/AustinPowers_161Pyxurz.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Arnold, who plays the cowboy in Vegas, says that "We got to mess around for a day on a little set on a sound stage. It was fun and easy. The "courtesy flush" is something we say in Iowa, and I got to ad-lib that, and also, "What did you eat?!" Apparently, I have spent a lot of time in bathrooms."</p><h3>Alotta Fagina didn't anticipate how she would look in the tub scene</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/AustinPowers_190Pyxurz.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Fabiana Udenio says that "The bathtub scene was very funny. I was actually wearing a little skin-colored bustier that was low-cut with a low back. It was pushing everything up and I didn't realize it. When I saw the film, I was shocked, but in retrospect, I think it just makes it all bigger than life."</p><h3>The nudity blocking scene took 25 takes</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/147_mike-myers-elizabeth-hurley-in-austin-powers-das-schaerfste-was-ihre-majestaet-zu-bieten-hat-1997_1900x880.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Roach says that "That nudity-blocking scene with Mike and Elizabeth — I shot 25 takes of that. We kept thinking it had to play out continuously, so I just kept shooting until there was a take that every single thing lined up perfectly. It was a hilarious scene, but it was actually really stressful because we were starting to feel like we may never get it." </p><p>Myers adds that "It took a lot of rehearsal. All I had to do was follow a pattern on a rug. It was Elizabeth who was going off of a reverse-polarity screen camera, left to camera right." </p><h3>Ever wonder why Dr. Evil didn't have the budget for sharks? Well...</h3><p></p><h3>Elizabeth Hurley couldn't stop laughing so they had to use the take in the movie</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/bb1c227cdad3f37a92fcc25949fa9ed2.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Hurley noticed that there is a scene where she breaks and laughs because Myers is too good, "That was a long night. When Mike says he's scared of circus folk, or carnies, you can actually see me smirking in the take they ultimately had to use because there weren't any I didn't laugh in."</p><h3>Where they filmed the missile scene was actually in use at the time</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/article-0-186100A000000578-716_634x395.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>There was a brown out in Los Angeles while they were filming so even though it was a back-up plant, it had to be put into use. Roach said that "The decibel level was so high, we were required to wear sound-blocking headphones. I directed everybody by screaming at them and using gestures. We would quickly take the headphones off the actors. It was such an unbelievable nightmare."</p><h3>Austin's 27-point turn made him nervous</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/austinpowers-03.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Myers said that "The 27-point turn was pretty hard. I only got one or two takes on it. We were in a location that if the car hit the wall, it would be $100,000. I got told right before the take and I was like, "Oh shit."</p><h3>Seriously though, why couldn't Dr. Evil have sharks? They actually weren't in the budget</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/Austin-Powers-International-Man-of-Mystery-images-4943dccd-1b28-4c4e-aea5-43ff64f7444.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>It's a joke in the movie that he can't have them because they are not in the budget, but it was actually true. Myers says that "The ill-tempted seabass was from having no money when we wanted sharks. Jay and I were, like, "Well, what can we do?" And the effects guy was, like, "We can make the water bubble …" </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/04/zJSL-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Austin Powers will live on as an amazing movie and hopefully will be passed down to future generations. It's just so fun and wonderful that it deserves all the love. It's probably good that they are holding out for a great idea because sometimes a sequel this long after the first just feels wrong. </p><p><strong>I can't believe this movie is 20 years old... Would you watch a fourth installment if they made it? Or do you think they should just leave it at the three that it is now? Let us know in the comments! </strong></p></div>