I recently visited the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s America’s largest private residence. It’s also where Being There was filmed, so, naturally, I watched the film again — I had the DVR catch it when it came on recently.
Somehow I’d missed (or forgotten) the closing scene, where Peter Sellers’ character, a simpleton who has been mistaken for a man of great ability, literally walks on water. It seems out of place — the rest of the movie is darkly comic, but not at all supernatural — and now I know why. From How the Last Shot in Being There Actually Got Made:
The script for Being There ends as both Peter Sellers and Shirley MacLaine take walks in the wood. They run into each other. She says ‘I was looking for you, Chance.’ He says ‘I was looking for you too.’ They take hands and walk off together.But near the end of production, somebody went up to Hal and said ‘How’s it going?’
‘Great,’ Hal said. ‘Sellers has created this character that’s so amazing, I could have him walk on water and people would believe it.’ Hal stopped and thought. ‘As a matter of fact, I will have him walk on water.’
Hal was out on location, miles from Hollywood. The last thing on earth he needed was to contact the home office to discuss the idea of Chance walking on water. It’s an idea that wouldn’t pitch or read well. If it had been in the script, there would have been endless arguments over what this Jesus allegory was doing in the picture. Only if you’ve actually seen the film do you realize that it’s not a Jesus allegory at all. Chance can walk on water because nobody ever told him he couldn’t, not because he’s the resurrection of Christ.
Hal knew he could make it work, just as he knew that there was no way in hell the studio would approve of more money for such a controversial shot that wasn’t even in the script. He decided to do it anyway.