Movies

Why Clint Eastwood Used a Fake Baby in American Sniper & It Looks Terrible

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American Sniper, a 2014 biographical film directed by Clint Eastwood, initially garnered much praise, but the controversial baby scene has since overshadowed its accolades. The movie focuses on Chris Kyle (portrayed by Bradley Cooper), a former Navy SEAL sniper who holds a record for confirmed kills during his Iraq service. American Sniper received numerous positive reviews, with critics lauding Cooper’s portrayal of Kyle’s moral conflicts in war and his efforts to maintain harmony with his family. The film went on to earn an impressive $547 million globally (according to Box Office Mojo)).

Despite the captivating way the movie “American Sniper” immerses viewers in its true-to-life tale, a significant portion of discussion revolves around a tense scene between Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. Regrettably, this dialogue doesn’t center on the exceptional acting. In this particular scene, Chris Kyle (Miller) and Taya Kyle argue over consoling a crying baby, but that baby turns out to be a prop, which has sparked numerous memes and overshadowed the triumphant narrative of “American Sniper.” However, Jason Hall, the screenwriter for “American Sniper,” disclosed the reason behind using the prop baby. Apparently, it was their last resort after two other options failed.

American Sniper Tried To Use Real Babies — But They Didn’t Work Out

Clint Eastwood Was Forced To Go With The Lesser Option

In my appreciation for the clarification provided by screenwriter Jason Hall regarding the portrayal of a baby in “American Sniper,” I’d like to share his explanation that a real baby was indeed hired, but unfortunately fell ill during production. Yet, even in this unexpected turn of events, the production team had a contingency plan – they had a backup baby ready and waiting. As reported by Vulture, Hall himself commented on this situation.

I regret to say, but our first-born has arrived with a fever. Unfortunately, our second child did not make an appearance today.

Subsequently, Hall asserts that director Clint Eastwood barked, “Hand me the doll, kid.” This resulted in the use of a doll resembling a toy prop in a film with a production budget of $58 million.

Working with young children and infants in film and television can present challenges like restricted work hours and limited expertise. To overcome these issues, productions often employ twins for child roles, which effectively doubles the time allocated for their scenes by the director. For instance, Dylan and Cole Sprouse have played various child characters, including Julian in “Big Daddy” and Ben Gellar on “Friends”. Regarding baby characters, the alternative is to use dolls, though this method can produce inconsistent results, as demonstrated in “American Sniper”.

American Sniper’s Prop Baby Looks Really Bad (& Hurts The Movie)

Did The Fake Baby Cost American Sniper Its Best Picture Win?

As a film enthusiast, I found myself deeply moved by the gripping tale in “American Sniper” (2014), one of Clint Eastwood’s finest works, owing to the complex and conflicted real-life character at its heart. However, the use of a prop baby in certain scenes was incredibly distracting, disrupting the otherwise immersive experience. Even when not directly facing the doll, its artificial appearance from its side profile was painfully evident, drawing me out of the story.

The awkward way Cooper handled the doll in that scene really detracted from it, making everything feel disjointed and below the usual quality of the 2014 release. Critic Dave Karger on Fandango suggested that the prop baby was a significant factor that could prevent the film from winning Best Picture (as reported by The Telegraph). Despite American Sniper’s box office success, it’s the prop baby scene that stands out in people’s minds more than the movie’s storyline, and it might have even hurt its chances at the Oscars.

Other Movies That Used Fake Babies

Puppets And CGI Have Been Used In The Past

In many films, a fake baby might be employed, with “American Sniper” being one of the most well-known instances. However, there are other significant examples that come to mind. There are situations where using a fake baby is essential, such as in the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button“. This film chronicles a character who ages backward, starting as an old, wrinkled infant. Given that a real baby couldn’t endure the makeup process for such a transformation, a rather unsettling puppet was used instead.

In the movie “Trainspotting,” there’s a scene where a real infant couldn’t have been used due to the fantastical nature of the event portrayed. The protagonist, Renton, is experiencing heroin withdrawal and hallucinates seeing a baby crawling on the ceiling. This puppet baby’s unusual movement and inhuman features perfectly match the surreal and terrifying atmosphere of the scene.

Over time, as CGI advanced, some films endeavored to employ this technology for their artificial babies. However, in numerous instances, it merely highlighted the constraints of CGI. Noteworthy examples include the controversial fake baby in “American Sniper” and the CGI baby Renesmee in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”. It appears that the animators overemphasized the supernatural aspects, resulting in a character that seems more like a cartoon figure within the live-action movie.

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2025-04-21 16:17

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