Director Ron Howard shares anecdotes about using a drug cocktail called Scopedex on the set of 'Apollo 13' to combat the effects of zero-gravity filming, including a memorable engine failure incident and the crew's reaction to his altered state.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 23: Ron Howard attends the Music by John Williams AFI Fest Opening Night Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on October 23, 2024. Ron Howard has always been one of Hollywood’s most clean-cut figures, and that remains the case even after a drug cocktail got him a little loopy on the set of “ Apollo 13 .
” NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 28: Ron Howard speaks onstage during WSJ's Future of Everything 2025 at The Glasshouse on May 28, 2025 in New York City. "We would up using this zero-G aeroplane that does parabolas in order to recreate weightlessness and do scientific testing and training of astronauts,” he said at the time. Each mission could do around 40 parabolas, but that only provided about 17 seconds of weightlessness.The cast and crew had to do 13 days of up and down, putting their stomachs to the test. But that’s where the drugs came in. “We took a little cocktail called Scopedex, which is half scopolamine and half Dexedrine. Scopolamine evens out your stomach, but wants to put you to sleep, and the Dexedrine keeps you working,” Howard explained. He revealed, “One time we were getting ready to go, and we took our Scopedex – or at least I did – we were all planned out, and then there was some engine failure, and we couldn’t go.” HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 23: Ron Howard attends the Music by John Williams AFI Fest Opening Night Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on October 23, 2024. Howard said the crew was “laughing their heads off” at him being a little overstimulated on the medications. “Because I was on the stuff and when you’re up there, with the adrenaline, you really don’t feel anything, you don’t feel any buzz, but apparently I was running around saying ‘Okay, so we can’t but you can bring a camera over here, we have the set, we’ll use the mock up, it’s okay, you can light it – Tom come on!’ They were all just looking like ‘somebody just hit this guy with a hammer, please.’”The struggle was worth it though. “Apollo 13” went on to earn nine Oscar nominations and is widely considered one of Howard’s best films.A woman was located after a porch camera caught her walking away from a fatal chihuahua attack with her German Shepherd.According to Salt Lake County Animal SerOne man was hospitalized after he was shot multiple times at a Tooele convenient store on Tuesday night.At approximately 11:12 PM last night, our officers wereA Murray woman asked for accountability after she said her dog was attacked and killed by another dog at a local park.The incident happened Saturday around noonA 20-year-old man was arrested after police found an art installation at the Dumke Arts Plaza in Ogden damaged.A nearby officer responded to the the plaza afteThe Utah legislative session is well underway, with several high-profile proposals already shaping debate at the Capitol.Former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert joined AR
Ron Howard Apollo 13 Film Scopedex Behind-The-Scenes
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Ron Howard's 'Apollo 13' Set Secrets: Drugs and Zero-G ChallengesDirector Ron Howard reflects on the challenges of filming 'Apollo 13', including the use of a drug cocktail to combat motion sickness during zero-gravity scenes, and reveals anecdotes from the set.
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