Jeff Goldblum Had To Endure Some Pretty Gross Stuff on The Fly Set
David Cronenberg's version of the The Fly (his work was loosely based on a short story and 1958's film of the same name) is rightfully considered to be one of the grossest and most revolting mainstream movies.
Its plot revolves around brilliant scientist Seth Brundle, who gradually transforms into a hideous human-fly hybrid creature after testing a fantastic teleportation device on himself, unaware that a housefly has gotten into the teleportation pod with him.
Back in 1986, The Fly really set new standards for screen body horror, as the grotesque details of Seth's transformation amply demonstrated David Cronenberg's love of the dark and macabre.
But the process of filming it was, in some aspects, as gross as the end result. Jeff Goldblum who played the main character, had to undergo many trials on set.
The film's makeup artists, Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis, won an Oscar and a BAFTA award for their work on poor Seth's transformation, which had seven stages, starting with subtle changes, like rash, sores and tiny fly hairs growing on his face, and becoming progressively more hideous and inhuman.
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While the very final stages were represented by elaborate puppets, earlier ones involved makeup, and eventually a full-body suit. But wearing that makeup, which grew more extensive as the character's transformation progressed, was uncomfortable and arduous. Even just applying it at the stage just before switching to the above mentioned suit was taking over five hours in itself.
Furthermore, a less immediately noticeable, but perhaps even grosser part of changes that Seth Brundle underwent was the propensity of his new forms to spew revolting acidic vomit. And the mixture used to imitate it was as gross as the substance's appearance on screen.
Walas and Dupuis invented a mixture of honey, flour, and food coloring that looked sufficiently nauseating. Its smell, and, presumably, taste, were just as gross as its look, and there was no way for Jeff Goldblum to avoid the smell.
But his suffering and hard work eventually paid off, as not only the film was a commercial success, and became a horror classic, Jeff Goldblum won 1986's Saturn Award for Best Actor in sci-fi, fantasy and horror.