Fitzcarraldo/Trivia

• Doing It for the Art: There is no other reason for Herzog to pull this dangerous and crazy stunt.
• Enforced Method Acting: The rapids the boat was sailing on with Kinski on it? All real.
• Troubled Production: To put it briefly, Herzog felt that the best way to invoke the madness involved in moving a multi-ton steamship across miles of dense jungle was to actually move a multi-ton steamship across miles of dense jungle, using methods that were actually more difficult and less efficient than those used in the actual event. To say this was a stressful experience would be an understatement.
• What Could Have Been: Originally Fitzcarraldo was played by Jason Robards and had Mick Jagger as an assistant. After they pulled out (Robards got very sick and his doctor forbade him to return, and Jagger couldn't stay with the film throughout its numerous delays while also keeping his commitments with the Stones), Herzog considered using Jack Nicholson and even himself in the titular role.