FILM · 1993 · USA
Leprechaun
47 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
47 Interesting Facts About Leprechaun
Interesting Facts (27)
- #001
Vice President Dan Quayle received a "special thanks" credit because his office expedited the work visa of the English actor Warwick Davis.
- #002
George Lucas received a "special thanks" credit because Warwick Davis was under contract to him, and he allowed Davis to appear in the film.
- #003
Warwick Davis repeatedly accused Jennifer Aniston of denying the film's existence. Aniston told Davis that she saw Leprechaun as her first film success, but that starting out as an actor embarrassed her, and she apologized for "ghosting" the film.
- #004
Warwick Davis came to regret making the film, but because of Aniston's later success on television many people rented it, and a long series of sequels followed. It was allegedly one of Warwick's favorite films.
- #005
According to Warwick Davis, there were many disagreements between the production and the distributor Trimark Pictures. The production wanted to make a horror film with many gory elements similar to the Friday the 13th saga or A Nightmare on Elm Street, while Trimark wanted a film similar to Critters or Gremlins, horror comedies suitable for all audiences. Through editing and different versions of scenes, a mixed variety of blood and humor was added. The film was initially planned as a straightforward horror film, but Davis tried to add more comedic elements. Mark Jones agreed to this change of tone and they shot it as a horror comedy. Several scenes had to be reshot after the producers insisted the film be made scarier to appeal to older audiences.
- #006
When it came to casting, everyone wanted a little person to play the Leprechaun, but someone asked director Mark Jones about Warwick Davis after his success with Willow (1988). Jones did not think such a successful actor would be interested in appearing in a low-budget horror film. In the end he took the chance and sent the script to Davis's home in England. Davis read the script and was very happy to play the villain. As an actor he was going through dark times and had not worked for seven or eight months, and he was at a point where he was not sure whether he wanted to continue acting. Shortly after he received the script, his newborn son died, and he felt that this could be therapeutic for him and his wife. As his first villain role, he really wanted to express his dark side while portraying the character.
- #007
In the scene where Warwick Davis chases Jennifer Aniston in a wheelchair, Aniston had to run and sway in slow motion so that Davis could keep up with her, since she had trouble managing the wheels. The wheelchair was very large and, because she wore rubber gloves, it was hard to control.
- #008
The coin shop used in the film was actually next to the cafeteria also used in the film. They have since been combined, and the door of the coin shop is now the entrance to the restaurant. Sagas Cafe is still standing to this day; it is said to be more than 130 years old and the oldest restaurant in the Los Angeles area.
- #009
Warwick Davis felt the shoes were very important for the character. The huge platforms were difficult to walk in, but when he came down they gave him a different way of walking. Davis said the shoes did more to put him into the character than the makeup did. He later insisted that these shoes be included in every Leprechaun film he started.
- #010
When the Leprechaun imitates the policeman's voice in the police car, the reason he was originally in the car was a deleted scene showing the Leprechaun back at the O'Grady farm eating a donut.
- #011
During filming, lead Jennifer Aniston and her adversary Warwick Davis got along very well and had good chemistry off camera. Aniston was happy to work with Warwick, but the two had a strained relationship whenever Aniston badmouthed or turned down the film. Davis even said on a television program that Aniston's discomfort stemmed from watching the film and seeing him without all the facial surgery he has since had.
- #012
The scene in which Alex talks about having brain surgery to make himself smarter than Ozzie was one Trimark wanted to cut, believing it disrespected the mentally disabled. The director considered it an innocent idea that showed the love between the two friends. Although Alex is a child, he is trying to learn to be an adult but still has the mindset of a child like Ozzie, so the two bond as friends in the film.
- #013
Throughout the film there are many shots that linger on close-ups of the characters' shoes. This is meant to give us the point of view of the Leprechaun, who is obsessed with shoes. Each character has shoes that suit their personality: L. A. Fear's sneakers for Tory, Chuck Taylor All Stars for Ozzie and Reeboks for Alex. None of them sponsored the film, but all are listed under "Special Thanks" in the credits.
- #014
When the Leprechaun's voice is heard in the final scene at the end of the film, Warwick Davis was happy to provide it because he knew it implied a sequel and hoped he would get to play the Leprechaun again.
- #015
Warwick Davis was actually a speed skater, and in the scene where the Leprechaun moves along the road without hitting the fences he was wearing his own skates. He performed the stunt himself and said the road was especially rough, so the wheels did not roll very well and when he hit gravel he had to go over it to reach the fence.
- #016
Gabriel Bartalos designed the Leprechaun's look to evolve in three stages over the course of the film. In the first stage he gave him a friendlier appearance, using features such as Davis's round nose, chin and smaller ears. In the second stage a more hooked nose, a pointier chin, sharper teeth and pronounced wrinkles were added. Third and finally, green mold curls growing on his face and long hair were added. An alternative design that was never used gave him long, sharp teeth, longer ears and black, soulless eyes.
- #017
Gabriel Bartalos (credited as Gabe Bartalos) created the makeup effects. Trimark contacted Bartalos to produce a sample. Bartalos's first efforts did not please them much, and as a horror fan he pushed the design in a more grotesque direction, toward what he wanted to see on screen. Bartalos's design impressed Trimark and he got the job.
- #018
During pre-production, executives at Trimark were not sure whether they wanted Mark Jones to direct. They even offered him money to step down from directing, but he turned down their offers, saying the only reason he wrote the script was to direct. He set out to prove himself, already filming the kitchen chase scenes and showing them to Trimark. The studio was impressed and gave him the job, though they felt they would get rid of him if they did not like the dailies two days in a row.
- #019
A scene in which Leprechaun cleaned shoes was to feature him making a giant "Dagwood"-style sandwich out of motor oil and nails, but the studio cut the scene.
- #020
Trimark wanted to remove the shoe-throwing scene, but the director fought hard to keep it in.
- #021
In the original script, Ozzie was to carry a pet frog named Ralph with him. In the end, Ozzie checks his pocket and realizes it is gone, and they begin to cry over the loss until the frog jumps onto Ozzie's chest and scares them. The director set the idea aside, thinking that wrestling with the frog in all of Ozzie's scenes would be difficult.
- #022
The inside of the diner is full of the film's cast and crew. Director Mark Jones sits next to co-producer David Price, wearing a black rainbow hat. Immediately behind the director is Warwick Davis, with his wife Sammy sitting at the next table. The man with the ponytail across from him is Davis's best friend Daniel, who came to visit him from England. Beside them is Leprechaun's makeup artist in a black shirt. The reason David is not sitting near them was that the production was worried audiences would recognize him as Leprechaun.
- #023
The moment Leprechaun's hand reaches out the phone has been compared to a similar scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Director Mark Jones said it was never meant as a nod to that scene. The effect was created using a foam rubber hand operated by Gabriel Bartalos with an off-screen cable.
- #024
The character Deputy Tripet took his name from David Tripet, the executive in charge of the production.
- #025
Both Warwick Davis and makeup artist Gabriel Bartalos affectionately nicknamed Ken Olandt "Fashion Boy" because he could look good even when covered in paint.
- #026
The studio was initially not convinced to make a horror-comedy, after the previous distribution success they had with Warlock (1989) convinced them that a straight horror film was the way to go. Mark Amin said the film was 80 percent comedy and 20 percent horror, and that he wanted it to be 50/50.
- #027
When the Leprechaun loses his eye, Davis had to perform with only one eye, because the other was glued shut with a piece of stick.
Production Story (3)
- #028
Mark Jones stated many times that the studio refused to let Jennifer Aniston play the lead character. It was thanks to Jones's insistence that Trimark approved Aniston to play Tory.
- #029
The studio was not sure what rating it wanted the film to have. They screen-tested PG-13 and R-rated versions of the film, and the R-rated version performed better; many comedy scenes were cut and reshoots were ordered to add even more blood. According to Mark Jones, this made sense; he wanted the film to be a horror movie for kids, and he knew they would think a PG-13 film was too soft. He said people still tell him, "As a kid, I brought tickets to The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) just so I could sneak in and watch this film when it was in theaters."
- #030
When Mark Jones sent the script to the studio in 1989, Trimark wanted to make bigger theatrical films but passed the script up twice before it reached the head producer. Mark Amin bought the script in 1990 and initially saw the film as a direct-to-video release, but it tested so well that it became the first in-house production Trimark released theatrically.
Behind the Scenes (9)
- #031
Warwick Davis performed most of the stunts himself because it was difficult to find a stunt double suited to his size. Unfortunately, he contracted a lung infection during filming, and the production shot with a stunt double while Davis dubbed his lines in post after he recovered. The taller double in the bear trap scene was Deep Roy. Surprisingly, he was the only actor not injured when it came to acrobatic movements.
- #032
The clover field was actually planted on the film set and lit with green light to make it stand out. As for the four-leaf clover, the crew had to glue an extra leaf onto it.
- #033
Davis was given freedom in how he wanted to portray the character. The scene where he rummages through the kitchen was largely improvised, as was his reaction when he first sees his reflection and says "adorable." It was so funny that the director, admiring his terrifying look, shot a close-up of the Leprechaun.
- #034
When the Leprechaun jumps onto a pogo stick, the shot is played in slow motion. This is because the stunt performer using it could only manage two jumps due to how difficult it was to operate, so the scene was slowed down to make it look like more. The studio also ordered additional shots to make the scene scarier.
- #035
John Sanderford was hired largely because of his beard. When he arrived on set, the director was surprised that he had shaved before filming. The beard seen on screen had to be created with prosthetic makeup effects.
- #036
Stunt coordinator Cole S. McKay broke his nose in the scene where Leprechaun overturns the truck with his go-kart.
- #037
While creating the effect of Leprechaun melting from the inside, Warwick Davis had to wear an acrylic jawbone and had several tubes super-glued to his body. Slime and cigar smoke were blown through the tubes to create the illusion. An animatronic puppet was then operated by Davis from inside the well. Director Mark Jones wished the well had looked older and more weathered.
- #038
Many members of the film's crew appeared as background characters or in cameos. Stunt supervisor Cole S. McKay played O'Grady's limousine driver. McKay would return for Leprechaun 2 (1994) and would go on to have a successful career since then.
- #039
In the scene where Leprechaun rides the bicycle, he was originally run over under the truck, then crushed when the truck pulled away and buried in the ground with tire tracks left on his body. They filmed it with his stunt double buried underground with a tube so Warwick Davis could breathe. Unfortunately the studio cut the scene because it found it too cartoonish.
Characters & Cast (5)
- #040
When casting Jennifer Aniston, she almost did not get the role because the executives wanted a blonde valley girl. Director Mark Jones realized the moment Aniston auditioned that she had star power, but he had to fight to get her the role. In the end, when Jones promised to bleach Aniston's hair, they agreed to let her join the cast, though this never happened. Jones said she was charming and easy to work with. Warwick Davis also said her ambition was great and that he knew she would one day be a big star.
- #041
In an interview with Fangoria, Mark Jones said he began writing the script in 1985 and spent a long time developing the Leprechaun character, which he initially envisioned as a "horrible, murderous creature" but which became a funnier, more evolved character before filming began. Warwick Davis, who was going through a dry spell after playing the lead in Willow (1988), liked the script and was excited to play against type. Jennifer Aniston, then little known, impressed Jones and he fought to have her cast.
- #042
In recent years a lot of misinformation has emerged about the scene in which the Leprechaun eats a cereal called "Lucky Clovers." It has been said that the box was actually supposed to be 'Lucky Charms' but that the company behind the brand was so upset it spat out the cereal and demanded its brand be removed from the film. Many people believe that what Alex says at the end of the film was used as the director's response. None of this is true. The cereal box was always intended to be an off-brand parody, and the original 1988 script used "Lucky Charms." Even so, the studio hated the line and wanted it cut, but the director wanted to keep it as a moment the crowd would enjoy.
- #043
Although Leprechaun has no official name in the series, the character was named Basil in the original script. At one point there was to be an old circus wagon with the name written on it, but it was never shot. Director Mark Jones wished he had consulted others about the character's name for the sake of its scrolling credit value. (In the comics adapted from the film, the character's name was Lubdan.)
- #044
When Warwick Davis auditioned for the role of the Leprechaun, he compared it to The X Factor (2011) because everyone auditioning sat behind a long table.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #045
Director Mark Jones wanted to add a great deal of color to the scenes to push the film's cartoon-like nature, particularly the blue and red paint on the house, the vivid costumes on the characters and Leprechaun, and the bright bursts of color in the background. The painters finding a rainbow on the old car was also intended to carry the idea that this was meant to be a live-action cartoon even further.
Deeper Meaning (2)
- #046
Writer-director Mark Jones had a career in American television programs. Wanting to make a film, he decided that a low-budget horror film was the best opportunity for him. Jones drew inspiration from Lucky Charms commercials to create a leprechaun character; the only change he made was turning the character into an antagonist. He was surprised that, despite the dark mythology surrounding leprechauns, there was no horror film dedicated to them. Jones was also influenced by films featuring small antagonists, such as Critters (1986) and Child's Play (1988). Jones brought the concept to Trimark, which wanted to get into film production and distribution.
- #047
Writer/director Mark Jones invented the mythology that the only way to kill a Leprechaun is with a four-leaf clover. He wanted it to be like wooden stakes for vampires, and he was genuinely disappointed that his mythology was not carried over into the sequels.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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