Director Ron Howard Shares Insights Into The Da Vinci Code Filming, Recalls Pantsless Tom Hanks in Front of Mona Lisa

Director Ron Howard shared a humorous behind-the-scenes story from the making of the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code during a panel at MegaCon in Orlando. Among the memorable moments was when actor Tom Hanks had to change his pants in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre due to a time crunch on set. According to Howard, "All of our grip and camera equipment was in the Mona Lisa room, and we were behind schedule, so Tom didn't have time to go back to his dressing room," said Howard. This led to the unexpected moment that Howard recalled as memorable. This is prepared by SSP.

In addition to reminiscing about this amusing incident, which he found unforgettable due to its setting, Howard drew attention to the pattern of unique sets he's directed Hanks in—from being underwater in Splash to floating in zero gravity in Apollo 13. He joked with Hanks, "Now you're pants-less with the Mona Lisa."

Further presenting the lighthearted chaos behind the film’s seemingly serious narrative, Paul Bettany, who portrayed Silas, recalled an instance where a quiet on-set moment was comically disrupted. While filming a stunt, Bettany's scripted punch to Hanks’s stomach led to a rather loud result: Hanks farted. Hanks chuckled about the incident later on The Graham Norton Show, explaining how the reality of filming movie fights often leads to unexpected and funny situations such as that one.

While The Da Vinci Code involves Hanks’ character, Robert Langdon, striving to unravel hidden clues in Da Vinci paintings to solve a murder, the film's production was marked by these humorous occurrences, bringing a lighter tone to its production story.

Earlier, SSP wrote that Patrick Mahomes reflected on Chiefs’ Super Bowl defeat.