FILM · 2007 · USA
Into the Wild
- Directed by
- Sean Penn
- Runtime
- 148 min
- Studio
- River Road Entertainment, Paramount Vantage, Linson Entertainment
30 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
After graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity, and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness.
30 Interesting Facts About Into the Wild
Interesting Facts (23)
- #001
Jim Gallien, the Alaskan who gives Chris his rubber boots in the opening scene, plays himself.
- #002
The watch Emile Hirsch wears in the film is the real watch that was given to Christopher McCandless.
- #003
Contains a major spoiler — show
The note Christopher McCandless hung on the bus actually read: "SOS. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?" The note shown in the film was a page from one of his journals.
- #004
On June 19, 2020, the "magic bus" in which Chris McCandless lived for 114 days in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness was airlifted out because of public safety concerns. The reason was that some people tried to reach the bus and either had to be rescued or did not survive.
- #005
Contains a major spoiler — show
Apart from the bus scenes, the film was shot on location. According to Sean Penn, out of respect for Christopher and the McCandless family they abandoned the idea of shooting at the real bus. Instead they built a set in the wilderness containing a replica of the real bus.
- #006
Sean Penn waited ten years to make the film to be sure he had the approval of the McCandless family.
- #007
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the film Chris dies from confusing two very similar plant species: one edible, the other poisonous. In the final edition of the book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer explains that although this was the original belief behind Chris's death, he found strong evidence that Chris knew the difference between the two plants and instead starved to death after eating a lethal mould growing on the plant.
- #008
When Emile Hirsch performed the naked backstroke in the river at 01:30:06, the outside temperature was at freezing level.
- #009
Contains a major spoiler — show
Since the book's publication, hundreds (if not thousands) of fans have travelled to the place where McCandless died, and not all of them survived. On August 14, 2010, 29-year-old Swiss national Claire Jane Ackermann and a 27-year-old man tried to cross the Teklanika River when their feet slipped and they were swept away by the current; the man survived. About two years later, around the same time, another young fan from Oklahoma, Jonathan Croom, disappeared for a time before his body was found in the Oregon mountains. His father later said Jonathan had very limited camping experience before setting out on this dangerous journey. Another McCandless fan from Oklahoma, 19-year-old Dustin Self, also disappeared in March 2013 and his body was found on October 7, 2014. His last contact was with his father and ex-girlfriend, when he called to say he was lost in a remote area in the southern part of the county. In July 2019, the Anchorage Daily News reported that two honeymooners from Belarus, 24-year-old Veranika Nikanava and Piotr Markielau, tried to cross the Teklanika River when it was very high after rain, and Nikanava fell and drowned. They were trying to walk to the bus site.
- #010
Contains a major spoiler — show
According to the DVD commentary, the deer Christopher kills in the film was actually a roadkill found on the highway.
- #011
When Sean Penn asked Eddie Vedder to do the soundtrack, Vedder accepted immediately without knowing anything about the film.
- #012
Contains a major spoiler — show
Although the book about McCandless's life and the film made from it treat the whole situation sympathetically, many Alaskans believe it was foolish to embark on such a lifestyle without proper skills or equipment such as a map or compass. Alaskan park ranger Peter Christian said: "From my perspective, when you look at McCandless, you immediately see that what he did wasn't even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic and inconsiderate. First of all, he spent very little time learning how to live in the wilderness. He came to the Stampede Trail without even a topographic map. If he had had a good map he could have got out of the dead end he was in. In reality, Chris McCandless committed suicide."
- #013
When Sean Penn first became interested in making the film, he had imagined Leonardo DiCaprio as Christopher McCandless and Marlon Brando as Ron Franz.
- #014
Contains a major spoiler — show
In a follow-up article published in The New Yorker in 2013, Krakauer finally confirmed the cause of McCandless's death: a toxic amino acid found in wild potato seeds that had previously been thought to be benign. He hoped the new findings would eliminate some of the theories and accusations surrounding McCandless's death, particularly regarding his reclusive renunciation, which had been seen as selfish, ignorant and arrogant.
- #015
Sean Penn needed wolves during production and even rented some from an agency. Before, during and after production, Penn played "kissy face" with many wolves. He spent hours feeding, playing with and petting them. Many of the wolves are still alive and are exhibited at Wolf Country in Palmer, Alaska, USA.
- #016
The man who shows Chris and Tracy around Salvation Mountain is Leonard Knight. He is the real-life builder of Salvation Mountain and appears as himself in the film. He died in 2014 at the age of 82.
- #017
Kristen Stewart is a co-writer of one of the songs her character Tracy Tatro sings in the film ("Tracy's Song").
- #018
The original quote from Chapter 18 of Henry David Thoreau's book Walden is "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." Alex "paraphrased" it as "Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness, give me truth."
- #019
In the film, Christopher works at Burger King. In the book, he is said to work at McDonald's.
- #020
It is based on the true story of Christopher McCandless.
- #021
The book in which Chris wrote "Happiness only real when shared" is Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago.
- #022
This was the film that inspired Catherine Hardwicke to cast Kristen Stewart in Twilight (2008).
- #023
Emile wrote the diary left-handed.
Production Story (2)
- #024
Zach Galifianakis is a tobacco chewer in real life. He was offered the chance to imitate this by chewing prunes, but he insisted on chewing real tobacco for the character.
- #025
During her audition for the role of Tracy Tatro, Kristen Stewart sang The Beatles' "Blackbird".
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #026
Contains a major spoiler — show
Emile Hirsch used no stunt double or body double, including for the scenes in which Chris crosses river currents, encounters a grizzly bear or goes rock climbing.
Characters & Cast (3)
- #027
Zach Galifianakis was told to improvise all of his lines because his character had no dialogue in the original script.
- #028
Brian H. Dierker was initially hired as a technical adviser for the rafting scenes. After Emile Hirsch recommended him for the role, Sean Penn cast him as Rainey.
- #029
Contains a major spoiler — show
Ron Franz, played by Hal Holbrook, is based on the real Russel Fritz. In real life, Fritz followed McCandless's advice and began hiking and traveling near where McCandless had camped. One day he was found by two hikers who informed him that Chris's body had been found in the Alaskan wilderness. After this discovery he abandoned his religion and became a heavy drinker. He died in 1999.
Life & Family (1)
- #030
Contains a major spoiler — show
In 2013 Carine McCandless published her memoir "The Wild Truth", finally revealing her brother's real motivation for "running away from it all". She and Chris grew up with an unstable, cruelly abusive father who made their weak-willed but highly gifted mother both victim and accomplice. A valuable source for both Krakauer's book and Sean Penn's film adaptation, Carine had shared this dark family history with Krakauer in the early 1990s, but strictly off the record to protect her parents "from full exposure in case they could change for the better" (unsurprisingly, they did not). And although it damaged his book, Krakauer respected Carine's restrictions. Instead he hinted at the truth by repeatedly referring to her father as "overbearing"; some readers noticed, but many did not.
Related pages
- Iron Man 2 — Into the Wild comes up in the facts on that page
- Jared Leto — Into the Wild comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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