Introduction
We could pretend that we’re doing this Things You Didn’t Know about Leon because it involves a lot of guns, and so does the upcoming James Bond flick, Spectre. But that’s not true. We just freakin’ love this movie, and we wanted to learn all sorts of fun facts about it. So we did! Subscribe: goo.gl/9AGRm
We’re happy to present you with 7 facts about what we think is Luc Besson’s best movie, Léon, which you may have seen released as “The Professional.” Starring Jean Reno and itty bitty Natalie Portman, it’s a moving and controversial thriller that’s always worth a re-watch. But first, enjoy these seven little-known facts!
What did you think? Did you know any of these facts already? What’s your favorite Luc Besson Movie? the Fifth Element? La Femme Nikita? The Transporter? Lucy? What other films would you like to see us expire on future editions of Things You Didn’t Know?
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Movies are a very complicated mess of time, money, people, and strange decisions. Inevitably, in the hodgepodge of life that goes into creating a movie, a few strange and interesting things happen here and there that are rather fascinating little tidbits of information. Every Monday starting in 2014, tune in to Cinefix for lists of things we find out that you (probably) didn't know!
Video
All right guys, I'm gonna level with you.
We have no solid reasoning for doing this one, except that we just wanted to.
We have no idea how you guys feel about this movie, but we love it so we're doing it here are seven things you didn't know about Leon aka, the professional problem.
Many of you may know that Leon was inspired by genre, knows character in luc besson, z-- 1990, film, La, Femme Nikita, in that one Renault plays another cleaner named Victor Victor enjoy yeah, but what you may not know is the overall story of Leon's relationship with Matilda is based on Pistone's real-life relationship with his then-girlfriend, the French actress known as my win.
She played the diva in his next film, the fifth element, and here she is in Lyon I'll talk to you anyway.
My win met luc besson when she was only 12 years old, but he was 29 at the time sound familiar.
Nonetheless, my win says that she was in love with the son by the time she was 15 by then he would have been 32.
So the story of Leon and Mathilde isn't shocking.
To my win because she feels that it's her story and my win isn't the only person who doesn't see the film is shocking.
The first time is very important.
It's Turman stress to her life's.
Actually, even though the film was fairly controversial in the US, the French generally didn't get been out of shape about Leona, Matilda's relationship, I'm.
Sure plenty of you have strong opinions and a whole lot to say about it in the comments.
So while you all do that, I'm just gonna move on to our next thing, let's play a game of game.
You know this part where Matilda and Leon play charades.
Well, aside from Gene Kelly, which was written into the script, all of the stars, Matilda impersonates came from Natalie Portman doing them in her audition Lupus on asked her what impressions she could do- and these were the three she came up with she'd- been a fan of Madonna in real life, so that one was a no-brainer and she knew of Charlie Chaplin just from watching movies at home.
But the best story is Marilyn Monroe and it's the best, because she's not actually doing an impression of Marilyn Monroe she's doing an impression of Mike Myers doing an impression of Marilyn Monroe birth.
A mr.
president, Natalie Portman had seen Mike Myers.
Do the happy birthday, mr.
president, stick in Wayne's, World and thought it was hilarious.
Obviously, and it's stuck with her, so she basically just ripped it off for her Leo an audition.
This is just one of those impressions that never has to be particularly good to be still pretty good.
You know like Christopher, Walken or Seinfeld or Arnold now go through the choppa, so we can move on to our next thing and I can stop doing these goddamn voices next thing filming on Leon was split between the US and France.
All of Leone's apartment interiors are on a set at fna studios, but parts like this in the hallways and on the stairs were done at the famous Chelsea Hotel on 23rd Street in New York.
So right here, Leon has actually gone from New York to Paris in a matter of seconds, but going back to the Chelsea Hotel.
It's famous for artists like Andy, Warhol, Dylan, Thomas and Mark Twain staying there as well as Sid Vicious, who, coincidentally gary oldman, played in his first major movie role in Sid Nancy, and that is our obligatory bonus thing.
You didn't know.
I think we can all agree that the guns in Lyon are pretty major, but Lyon went into production just a few months after Brandon Lee was killed while filming the crow.
The tragedy cast a certain apprehension over the entire Leon production and not least of all / Natalie Portman's parents, since Mathilda handles so many weapons in the film Portman's parents hired a weapons expert to teach her how to assemble the guns herself, how to check to make sure there wasn't live ammo in there how to tell the difference between a bullet and a blank all of that kind of stuff.
So for the most part, when we see Mathilda doing her gun chores in the film Natalie, Portman pretty much knew what she was doing for real and since she was only 11 at the time that makes her pretty much the most badass tween ever.
My rock please I mean [ __ ] I was so wetting the bed learning how to handle guns properly and safely.
Wasn't the only requirement that Natalie Portman's parents had for her participation in Leone.
They also took issue with Mathilda smoking.
In the end, they worked at a pretty detailed agreement with the Sun on how the whole underage smoking thing was going to work for one.
We could see no more than five cigarettes in Matilda's hand throughout the film -.
They couldn't be real cigarettes.
Third, we could never see Mathilda actually inhale.
That's why we only see her bring the cigarette to her lips, but it always cuts away before we see her take a drag.
The final rule was that the Portman's wanted Mathilda to quit smoking during the course of the film which she does I want you to stop smoking, 14, huh I, wonder if this means that the Portman should get co-writing credit happening out there.
Okay, let's talk about this old lady here in the hallway and I'm not being rude by the way she is actually credited as old lady.
The actress is the late jessie Kyoshi, which I'm almost certain you didn't know, but that's not the thing you didn't know.
For this thing you didn't know.
This thing is about how that actress playing the old lady was also Woody.
Allen's, high school biology, teacher, crazy, weird coincidence, right and I.
Don't have anything else dad aired.
So, let's move on my own is easily one of lupus ons best works, and that makes it really hard to believe how quickly he wrote the script it took only one month for him to write Leon.
If it only took him 30 days to write Leon, then he must have spent just 30 minutes.
Writing that piece of Jerusalem, the fifth element after La Femme Nikita, but the project was too big and was taking too long.
So he decided to take on something more manageable until he could make the fifth element.
He spun off La Femme Nikita into Lyon, banged out the script and invited John Renault to dinner once it was done after dinner, Besson and my win presented Bruno with a gift and once were no opened the box, it was the script for Leon, Renault was so touched.
He actually started to tear up and he told Busan I'm already ready turns out.
He was right also turns out.
He was talking about the threesome.
They had that night.
That's a wrap on this episode.
So let us know if you like this one and if you love Lyon, thanks for watching and be sure to check out Cinna fix, calm and subscribe for more true ish things about movies and sometimes people doing impressions of Mike Myers doing another impression right here on things you didn't know.
FAQs
7 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Léon: The Professional!? ›
Leon Linden is the main antagonist of the 1988 horror movie, Pin and also a young man displaying traits associated with schizophrenia as well as those of dissociative personality disorder.
Did Léon have a mental illness? ›Leon Linden is the main antagonist of the 1988 horror movie, Pin and also a young man displaying traits associated with schizophrenia as well as those of dissociative personality disorder.
Is Léon mentally disabled? ›For his preparation as the titular hitman (aka cleaner), Reno deliberately played Leon as slightly mentally impaired or emotionally stunted man, as if he were a young child stuck in the body of an adult.
Why does Léon drink milk? ›Metaphorically, it's a symbol of wholesomeness and his paternal concern for Mathilda. He attempts to enrich her and provide her with a more wholesome environment, and milk represents those qualities. It's a fluid of life, nurture, and care.
Does Léon fall in love with Mathilda? ›His feelings toward Mathilda awaken an appreciation for life and show there's a reason for him to exist. But he never responds with even the slightest glimmer of interest in her emotional advances. He loves her, but not romantically.
What drug does he take in Léon? ›Throughout the film, he takes a drug in capsule form that appears to be Librium, an early benzodiazepine.
Does Léon: The Professional have autism? ›The movie feels claustrophobic as we watch Leon and Olvido in their desperate situation. Leon is an autistic young man who can't cope with life in institutions for people in his condition.
Why does Leon always carry a plant? ›While hitmen are not typically known to be nice people, Leon, the titular character, at least does an exceptional job of caring for his favourite plant – an Aglaonema, or Chinese Evergreen plant. Indeed in the film, he refers to the plant as his best friend because it is always happy and doesn't ask questions.
Why does Leon keep a plant? ›The plants are symbolic for the kind of life that Leon was living. Regardless of where he lived, what kind of danger he was in, he must water the plants, and must carry them around. There were only a couple of things that were dear to Leon: one was the plants, and the other Mathilda.
Who drank the most milk? ›The country with the highest per capita consumption of fluid milk in 2022 was Belarus. The average person in Belarus consumed about 114.9 kilograms of milk in that year.
Why does Mathilda wear a choker? ›
It's like a talisman for her, a symbol of what she can be. Originally a symbol of prostitution and even secret lesbianism, the choker has always been a symbol of subversion, of the alternative potential of the body.
How old is the girl in Léon? ›12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin...
Is Léon a love story? ›“When Luc Besson did Léon, the story of a 13-year-old girl in love with an older man, it was very inspired by us since it was written while our story started.
Why did Netflix cut scenes from Léon: The Professional? ›Why did Netflix cut scenes from Léon: The Professional? Though nothing sexual occurs between the characters, Americans felt many scenes were too sexually pedophilic or mature to involve a child, so they were removed for the American release.
Does Tony steal Léon's money? ›It turns out Tony doesn't actually pay Léon for any of his “cleaner” work. He holds the money, telling Léon he's more trustworthy than a bank, because “banks always get knocked over. And nobody knocks over old Tony.” Given the places Léon lives and his lifestyle, he's clearly not rolling in excess cash.
What happens at the end of Léon: The Professional? ›In the end, Léon dies but Mathilda gets to have a second chance in life.
What actress has an autistic child? ›“It's about raising money and helping parents get their kick start but also about giving them the ability to help the kids throughout their lives.” Toni Braxton – In addition to being public about her son, Diezel, being diagnosed with autism at 2, she has been just as open about his success.
Is there any autistic actors? ›Mickey Rowe (the first openly autistic actor to play Christopher Boone in Simon Stephens' Tony Award–winning play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”) Dan Aykroyd. Daryl Hannah. Anthony Hopkins.
Does Léon ever lose? ›Leon Lost His First-Ever Battle
It was only in the fourth and final episode of this battle, after he'd lost to Ash, that it was revealed that Leon lost that battle to Sonia.
Aegislash is Leon's first Pokémon and arguably the toughest, thanks to its unique ability and solid stats.
What does Léon refer to his job as? ›
Léon is an Italian hitman (or "cleaner", as he refers to himself) in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City working for a mafioso named "Old Tony".
Do Léon love Ada? ›10 Leon Has Strong Feelings For Ada Wong
Leon S. Kennedy maintains an uncanny relationship with Ada Wong throughout the series. For him to look the other way on Ada Wong's illegal acts shows that Leon S. Kennedy must have some pretty strong feelings for her.
Throughout the film, Leon nurtures a plant that he refers to as his best friend. This plant is an aglaonema, and since first seeing it in the film a few years ago, I made it my mission to get myself a 'Leon plant'.
What is my name is Leon based on? ›Based on Kit de Waal's novel, My Name is Leon tells the story of a mixed race nine-year-old who is separated from his white baby brother in the care system.
What is the richest milk? ›Buffalo milk has the highest amount of fat in comparison to the milk from cow, sheep and goat. So the correct answer is option (B). Note: Buffalo milk is the second highest consumed milk after the cow's milk. Apart from fat, buffalo milk is also rich in SNF, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus content.
Who tasted milk first? ›It's possible that the first Aurochs were milked 8,000 to 10,000 years ago in two different parts of the world, since domestication is attributed to cow-milking, but it's likely that European farmers were the first. As such, humans have been drinking cow's milk for about 6,000–8,000 years.
Has anyone drank their own breast milk? ›While a mother may benefit marginally from the nutrients found in breast milk, according to several lactation experts, a mother who drinks her own breast milk is exceedingly rare.
Why was Léon controversial? ›Even at the time of its release, critics questioned the plot's rationale, with Roger Ebert accusing “Leon” of “exploit[ing] the youth of the girl without really dealing with it” in a 1994 review. The film's legacy has been further tarnished by sexual abuse allegations against Besson from multiple women.
Is Léon Based on a true story? ›Sir Lenny grew up 15 years before the fictional Leon but could relate to some parts of his story. He often faced daily racism at school, but says he wishes he had found similar strong male mentors. "Yeah, I was moved by it," he says of Leon's story.
How did Jean Reno feel about Léon: The Professional? ›According to Jean Reno, he decided to play Léon as if he were "a little mentally slow" and emotionally repressed. He felt that this would make audiences relax and realize that he wasn't someone who would take advantage of a vulnerable young girl.
What does the plant mean in Léon: The Professional? ›
The plants are symbolic for the kind of life that Leon was living. Regardless of where he lived, what kind of danger he was in, he must water the plants, and must carry them around. There were only a couple of things that were dear to Leon: one was the plants, and the other Mathilda.
What does Natalie Portman think of Léon: The Professional? ›In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Natalie Portman said of Léon, “It's a movie that's still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything I've ever made, and it gave me my career, but it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to ...
What scenes were cut from Léon? ›In the version released in India, the censors insisted on cutting certain scenes which included Matilda smoking on the stairs, a man pressing the breasts of the woman, 50% reduction in expressions on Stansfield's face after he consumes the drug capsule, 30% reduction in the shootout in the flat, the shooting by ...
Is there two versions of Léon? ›There is an extended version of the film, referred to as "international version", "version longue", or "version intégrale". Containing 25 minutes of additional footage, it is sometimes called the "Director's Cut" but Besson refers to the original version as the Director's Cut and the new version as "The Long Version".
How old was Natalie Portman when she filmed Léon: The Professional? ›Portman made her film debut at 13 years old with Léon: The Professional, in which she stars as Mathilda, a young girl who strikes up a mentor-mentee relationship with a hitman (Jean Reno) who lives in her apartment building after a corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration agent (Gary Oldman) murders her family.
Why is Léon Hispanic? ›León is a Spanish surname. A habitational name from León, a city in northwestern Spain, named with Latin legio, genitive legionis 'legion', a division of the Roman army.
Did Léon ever meet his brother? ›The reader cannot help but fall in love with Leon. The opening of the book starts with him meeting his newborn brother and immediately being left to look after him.
Did Léon find Jake? ›Carol implodes without a man in her life, leaving Leon to look after Jake. After asking for help from their neighbour Tina one too many times, Social Services arrive to take over and so Leon finds himself and Jake living with Maureen with the orange hair instead.
Who shot Léon: The Professional? ›Stansfield follows Léon into the hotel lobby and shoots him from behind. Looming over the dying Léon, Stansfield jeers him haughtily. However just before he gives out, Léon places an object in Stansfield's hands, which he explains is "from Mathilda". Opening his hands, Stansfield recognizes it as grenade pin.
What is the pill he takes in the professional? ›The green and yellow capsules Norman Stansfield takes is Librium, a sedative and hypnotic medication of the benzodiazepine class; it is used to treat anxiety, insomnia and withdrawal symptoms from alcohol and/or drug abuse.
What happens to Matilda in Léon: The Professional? ›
Mathilda, still grieving her brother's murder, grows impatient and sneaks into Stansfield's office with a big bag of guns to take him down and enact her revenge. But Stansfield catches her, forcing Léon to single-handedly storm the building and rescue her, killing several agents in the process.