Moonlight Trivia

Did you know that…

[Updated 10-May-09]

• … the story is based on a novel called Angel of Vengeance by Trevor Munson about a vampire/private investigator called Mick Angel?
• … the show was originally called Twilight and that the original script was written for a feature film?
• … the show’s creator, Trevor Munson, based Coraline’s character on an ex-girlfriend of his?
• … there were two actors who stood out at the auditions for the lead role of Mick St. John? One was of course Alex O’Loughlin and the other was Henry Thomas, whom most of us know as Elliott, the boy from E.T.
• … Alex had to audition several times before he got the role of Mick St. John? At the first audition he met with the producers, including Trevor Munson and Ron Koslow. Because it was his first lead role in a series, that was followed by an audition in front of studio and network executives which he found “pretty nerve-wracking”. When they still weren’t convinced, he had to shoot a screen test on film. Alex: “So it wasn’t handed to me.” In his MySpace blog, he writes that he “was told time and again that i wasn’t the man for the job, having to prove myself to everyone with tests and screen tests…”
• … the show was completely recast around Alex O’Loughlin in June 2007 after the original (and unaired) pilot was shot? Amber Valletta was the original Coraline Duvall, Shannon Lucio played Beth Turner and Rade Šerbedžija played Josef Konstantin (this character’s name was later changed to Josef Kostan, the character played by Jason Dohring).
• … the show premiered on CBS on Friday, September 28, 2007?
• … the very last day of shooting was Saturday, April 26, 2008? Technically, it was early Sunday morning, April 27th when cast and crew went home.
• … each Moonlight episode was shot in only 8 to 9 days due to budget constraints?
• … the vampire math didn’t quite compute in the beginning of the show, but in the end it did work out? You can view the official Moonlight Timeline here.
• … Alex O’Loughlin continued to use his American accent on set between takes because that meant that he had one less issue to have to think about?
• … Alex O’Loughlin did as many stunts himself as he was permitted to? He estimates that he performed approximately 75% of his own stunts.
• …  in episode 7 (The Ringer) Alex O’Loughlin’s lower back tattoo is visible when his shirt and jacket fly up during the scene where Mick St. John and Hank Mottola fight each other in the cemetery?
• …  in episode 1 (No Such Thing as Vampires), the interviewer in Mick St. John’s fantasy interview is Beth Turner?
• …  in episode 4 (Fever) Mick St. John can be seen wearing plastic sandals when he comes out of the motel bathroom?
• …  in episode 4 (Fever) the script calls for Mick to “weakly pull his shirt off”? We know that he keeps the shirt on but rips it down the front, to make it easier on the actor and the make-up department, as Alex had to spend a lot of time in the water-filled bathtub and keeping his tattoos concealed would have been both a challenge and time consuming.
• … initially it took up to 40 minutes to get Alex O’Loughlin ready in “straight” Mick St. John make-up? As time progressed, the make-up department managed that in just 15 minutes. Vamp make-up originally required 60-75 minutes and that got shortened to 35-40 minutes.
• … there were three stages of vamping and two types of vamp teeth? More on this subject can be found here.
• … Episodes 4 (Fever) and 9 (Fleur de Lis) were included on the “For Your Consideration” DVD for the 2008 Primetime Emmys in the category “Outstanding Drama Series”?
• … Alex O’Loughlin’s Red Cross blood donation appeals were filmed on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 during day four of shooting What’s Left Behind on the Warner Bros. studio backlot?
• … the morgue scenes were filmed at Linda Vista Hospital, an abandoned hospital in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles that is now a privately owned film set and that is said to be haunted?
• … the Writers’ Strike, that started on 5 November, 2007 and ended on 12 February, 2008, cost the show 5 episodes?
• … the show logged over 10 million votes to win the People’s Choice Award 2008 for Favorite New TV Drama?
• … CBS announced the cancellation of the show on Tuesday, May 13, 2008?
• … Alex O’Loughlin posted a message on his blog on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 and left for a two-week vacation in Mexico on Thursday, May 15th?
• … Alex O’Loughlin got so caught up in the moment, that he improvised Mick St. John’s “my Beth” line in the re-turning scene with Jason Dohring?
• … Jason Dohring remained emotionally upset for several hours after shooting the re-turning scene with Alex because it affected him so much?
• … Alex O’Loughlin’s favorite quote from Moonlight is “Remember darling, half the world is night”? It’s a line of Lola’s in episode 6 (B.C.) and he would often write it when signing photos for fans.
• … Moonlight‘s costume designer, Salvador Perez, called Mick St. John’s stylish look “glam goth”? As an old soul trapped in a 30-year-old body, Mick is always dressed in collared shirts and Henleys. No crew-necks for him. “He’s a vampire — it’s always about the neck,” says Salvador.
• … there were three types of prop blood? There was drinking blood, flowing blood and drying blood.
• … the drinking blood used in the show was a concoction of pomegranate juice mixed with various berry juices and that it was very sweet? It was designed by food stylists to be low fat, sugarless and organic to meet the dietary requirements of one of the actors. Alex had this to say about it in an interview with AOL: “It tastes like guava and pomegranate. If you drink too much, you get a really bad stomachache and it makes you fart. A farty vampire. It’s an interesting set.”
• … the fireplace in Mick St. John’s apartment consisted of small pieces of tempered glass with a flame bar beneath, so that the flames passing through the glass created that special effect?
• … the artwork on the ceilings of Josef Kostan’s office and condo was done by artist Alex Gross?
• … the pieces in Mick St. John’s apartment were purchased at various stores in LA, such as Cisco Home, Design Within Reach, Diva, Sonrisa?
• … Mick St. John’s diagonal bookcase was custom built by the production’s art department and each square measures 16×16 inches?
• … Sophia Myles’s fine hair was so badly damaged by the extensions she had to use for her role as Beth Turner, that she had to have it cut short and used a partial wig in the last four episodes of Moonlight?
• … Mick St. John’s car is a mid Sixties’ Mercedes 250 SE convertible?
• … Alex O’Loughlin selected Mick St. John’s cross and moonstone ring from hundreds of different rings and that he had to convince the producers that it was the right one for Mick? It was also his idea to wear the ring on Mick’s right index finger.

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, mick st. john, moonlight, trevor munson[/tags]