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These are some rumors that are frequently posted on the Internet.
Many fans still don't know what is true and what isn't.
If you have a fact or fiction question to ask, please
email us.
Trivia: Brandon wore his
wedding tuxedo to his funeral, and Eliza wore her wedding dress?
Fact/fiction: Well it's
half true. It has been reported from reliable sources that Brandon
was buried in the tuxedo he had brought for his wedding. Eliza did
not wear her wedding dress to his funeral. She wore it to the
memorial service, which was held the day AFTER his private funeral.
Trivia: Brandon was in
talks to do Rapid Fire II?
Fiction: Rumor. Brandon was working on a script with the writer of Rapid Fire Alan
McElroy for a new film, that would be produced by FOX, but it was
not a sequel (according to Mc Elroy). Producer Robert Lawrence was
working on the project with Brandon and was hoping to do something
with the same character, but Brandon was wanting to make a fresh
start with a new character. Lawrence says this film was later
changed into Die Hard III.
Trivia: Brandon
was going to open his father's death for investigation when he was
killed.
Fiction: False. No
evidence to suggest this is true. Brandon believed in the
official cause of Bruce Lee's death by brain odema. He thought any
such theories that his father died of anything but natural causes
to be ridiculous, and commented as much before his death. Any
theories involving Chinese mafia are equally ridiculous and have no
factual basis
to them.
Trivia:
Brandon has a son
Fiction:
False. It is true that Brandon and Eliza were planning to
start a family immediately after they were married, but they
had yet to conceive when he died. Eliza did not give birth to
Brandon's child like some people have claimed.
Trivia:
Brandon was obsessed with death?
Fiction: In my
opinion based on accounts by those who knew Brandon, he was not
obsessed with death at the time he died.
Most people
make this assumption based on photos of Brandon visiting Jim Morrison's grave in
the 1980's, or reports of Brandon doing rebellious and dangerous
stunts, or talking about death. Such things are quite normal, given
Brandon's age when his father died, and the age of Bruce when he
died. Questioning your own mortality doesn't make you obsessed with
death, an interest or fascination with the unknown is hardly an
obsession. Brandon loved life, and was looking forward to having a long
one. As far as reports of Brandon having premonitions of dying
young, only Brandon can say. His closest friends seem to attest to
the fact that any "death" talk was done earlier on in his 20's.
After he met Eliza, he became more focused and more excited about life
and the prospects of a happy future, such talk ceased. He did have a
very black sense of humor, but those who knew him do seem to be of
the opinion that is was just in a playful tone, and he did not mean
for it to be taken literally.
Trivia:
Brandon was first thought for the role of NEO in The Matrix?
Fiction. No
evidence. The Matrix wasn't even in script form when Brandon died in
1993, and there has been no facts on record to support this widely
circulated claim.
Trivia:
Brandon's autopsy revealed that he had heart disease and would have
died young, whether or not he had been killed.
Fiction.
The source of this rumor came from RE PAYNE, who had longed claimed
that for a price he could prove that Brandon was murdered. Not only
does he have no evidence, or proof, but his claims at having
Brandon's autopsy report don't appear to have been proven by any
kind of factual documentation. The autopsy report was never
released, and his report contained so many errors, including
supposed medical evidence (which is absent) that it is illogical to even
entertain this ridiculous rumor. Payne is in the business of lies,
and his so-called evidence is non existence. His report has so many
holes (not to mention numerous grammar errors), that once
again has no factual basis to it. Brandon was very healthy, and while he did
smoke, that would of hardly caused significant heart disease at age
28, to the degree Payne suggests. Brandon did not have a heart
condition or heart disease, and Payne's claim that he he was
genetically going to die, has no evidence to support it. To there be
a genetic link to death, there first has to be a family member in
their direct line to die of it (Bruce didn't die of heart disease,
and most of Brandon's grandparents died of old age conditions, so
much for that theory, Payne). His heart, though, did take an enormous
beating when he was shot. In fact his aorta (which is connected to
the heart and is responsible for circulating blood to the organs) was
severely damaged, and had to be surgically repaired. If there was any damage to the heart, it
most probably was done after his accident, in an attempt to
save his life.
Trivia: The
members of Eric Draven's fictional band 'Hangman's Joke' is a real
band.
It is both.
The rumor persisted that Hangman's Joke were a real band, and for
years no one knew if the members of the band were local extras or
were a real band. Thanks to Cindy T of the starthrillerbrandonlee
site, we have been able to tell what is truth from what is fiction.
There was no real band called Hangman's Joke - that is fiction. But
the members in the promotional shots with Brandon were actually
members of a real band called Charlie's On Acid. They were
cast as extras to pose in promotional pictures with Brandon, which
they did. You can read an article from 1993 about the band
here.
Trivia:
Brandon was signed on to do two sequels to The Crow
Fact. It is
true that shortly before he was killed, Brandon had in fact signed
to do two sequels to he Crow if it proved to be
successful. They were to be based around the character of Eric
Draven.
Trivia:
Rapid Fire was going to be called something else?
Fact: This
is true. Brandon (with agent David Goldman) and producer Robert Lawrence worked
to secure a deal with Fox for a film, which would be written
especially for him. Originally, writer Cindy Cirile was writing a
script called "The Red Pole," which had the storyline
based around a
martial artist using his skills to fight the Hong Kong Mafia in New
York City. However, Brandon wanted a more realistic character who he
could relate with, and after
Alan McElroy came on board
as one of the writers, the storyline dealing with both martial arts,
and with the loss and spiritual growth seemed more appropriate to
Brandon. It had the working title of "Moving Target,"
until after the film was made. It was then changed to Rapid Fire.
Trivia:
Brandon died in the big shootout scene in The Crow
Fiction: Brandon's accident did
NOT occur in the big shootout scene in the boardroom. That particular
scene was shot over 10 days prior to the fatal accident occurring. Several
actors such as Michael Wincott, Bai Ling and Tony Todd (who were
featured in that scene) had already
left Wilmington because their scenes had already been filmed.
Brandon's accident occurred filming the death scene of his character
Eric Draven.
Trivia:
Eliza Hutton ordered scenes between Eric and Shelly be removed after
Brandon's death.
Fiction. This rumor was generated after some claims
in the
much read but factually inconsistent book The Crow: The Story Behind
the Film by Bridget Baiss, that scenes that were shot between
Brandon (Eric) and Sofia Shinas (Shelly) were cut from the film by
Eliza's request. However, the evidence available contradicts such
claims and proves that they are false, as Eliza Hutton made no
formal or official requests to have any scene removed, besides the
death scene. Given the fact that both she and Linda wanted the film
done and completed, it makes claims from
misinformed people rather redundant. The fact also remains Eliza was not even aware
of the contents of such scenes as the main love scene was filmed
during a time when she was back in L.A, and she did not see the film
until after it had been edited. The scenes that had been filmed between
the characters were VERY short, therefore
the scenes could not have been put in a narrative context. There
was only one sex scene in the script and no nudity (which was by
Brandon's request as he felt it wasn't needed - instead wanted more
emotional driven dialogue between the characters of Eric and
Shelly). There is also some claims that seems to be supported by
script notes that interaction between Eric and Shelly were always
intended to be brief flashback like "sparks" that tormented and remind
Eric of his pain and his past. The actress who played Sofia Shinas
(who had never acted before The Crow and therefore inexperienced
with the decision in film making ) was only on set for the
last two weeks of the shoot, so she had scenes still left to film
with Brandon in the last week, and they were behind schedule. Her claims that scenes (based on her
own feelings of disappointment and bitterness towards how short her
part was on screen) were cut because of jealousy are rather
ridiculous and superficial in the grand scheme of editing the film
as well as the evidence, and are not supported by the facts or any
creditable witnesses to the editing decisions. Brandon died
before the large majority of the scenes between his character and
Shelly had taken place. Small scenes between the character had been shot
in the last week of his life, but Brandon requested to have the bulk of them filmed at the
end of production, so he could get the action over and done with. The decision to edit was
Alex's, and was done because there was not enough footage to go
around of the couple in order to show more of the before life of
Eric Draven. The decision was Proyas's and his alone.
While some actors do get disappointed that some of their work does
not make it on screen, it is frankly a fact of life in Hollywood.
Sometimes an actor's best shots end up on the cutting room floor.
Ultimately, I would take what you read in
such "sensational" books with a grain of salt, since some people may
not be speaking from fact, but rather from their own opinion which
may be completely illogical and any kind of hindsight.
Trivia:
Brandon Lee played the guitar in the rooftop Inferno song?
False: It is
not Brandon in this scene, as is obviously from the scene being
filmed from the back. The guitarist is rumored to have been
Brandon's guitar teacher, J.K Loftin.
Trivia: Did
Brandon ever say 'The Key to immortality is living a life worth
remembering' or 'Immortality is to live your life doing good things,
and living your mark behind' ?
False. It is
rather ironic that sayings Brandon is connected with he never said
or knew about in his lifetime (according to evidence anyway). When Brandon died, the film based on
his father's life Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story was due to be
released. The film's director , Rob Cohen decided to include a
dedication to Brandon at the end of the film and asked his mother,
Linda if she had one in mind. After no suggestions were given, Cohen
asked her what she thought of the St Augustine quote "The Key to
Immortality is Living a Life Worth Remembering", and she thought
it was perfect. Brandon never said it or does any evidence to
suggest he had heard of the quote while alive. Linda Lee Cadwell
used the quote and had it engraved on a bench that was placed at the
graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee in 1995. There is also no evidence
that Brandon had said or heard of the second quote, although many
fans have placed it on their banners and pages - he never said it.
It seems to be a variation of the St Augustine quote, but once again
Brandon did not say it - therefore you cannot accurately quote him
for saying something he never did. | 
