28 Facts About "Freaks And Geeks" That'll Make You Appreciate The Show Even MoreSkip To ContentHomepageSign InSearch BuzzFeedSearch BuzzFeedlol Badge Feedwin Badge Feedtrending Badge FeedCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapPosted on 22 Nov 2017 28 Facts About Freaks And Geeks That ll Make You Appreciate The Show Even More Paul Feig dreams of turning the show into a stage musical. So do I tbh. by Natalya LobanovaBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestTwitterMailLink 1 The only actor who was the same age as his character was John Francis Daley who was 14 during the time of filming View this video on YouTube youtube.com And he was only 13 when he auditioned. 2 Linda Cardenelli who played Sam Weir s 16-year-old older sister was actually 24 during the time of filming Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC She was also the oldest of the actors playing the teen characters. 3 In contrast Sarah Hagan Lindsay Weir s on-screen mathlete friend was 15 during the time of filming Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 4 Even though they were a couple on screen James Franco and Busy Philipps actually hated each other Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC She said that he was the most difficult person she'd worked with, and he once shoved her to the ground during an improv session. 5 Linda Cardellini still has the camo jacket she wore throughout the series Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 6 Jesse Eisenberg was a second choice when casting the role of Sam Weir Matthew Peyton / Getty Images, NBC 7 Shia LaBeouf also auditioned for the role of Neil Schweiber NBC Though he didn't get the role of Neil, he did play a small part nevertheless: Herbert, the injured school mascot. 8 Busy Philipps originally auditioned for the part of Lindsay Weir but was asked by the producers to try out for the role of Kim Kelly instead View this video on YouTube youtube.com 9 The pilot was filmed in a real school which was also the same school that Clueless and numerous other films used Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Paramount Pictures 10 The rest of the series was actually filmed in a set that was made to look exactly like the real original school Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC / Via imgur.com All the corridors were actually just one T-shaped set that was constantly shifted around to make it seem like there were more. Extras would just pile up on the ends of the set corridors as there was nowhere else for them to go. 11 James Franco and Seth Rogen were on a strict vegan diet throughout filming because Seth wanted to lose weight Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 12 Jason Segel and Linda Cardellini dated as characters on the show and then for five years off-screen after the show ended Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC / Via imgur.com 13 Linda and Busy share the same birthday – June 25th – only four years apart Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 14 Paul Feig said that if the show had a second series he d have wanted Sam Weir and Cindy Sanders to become mortal enemies running against each other for Student Body President Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 15 Also in that season-that-never-was Kim Kelly would ve gotten pregnant Bill Haverchuck would ve become a jock and Lindsay might ve dealt with drug addiction Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC Let's all share a silent moment and a tear for this season that never happened. 16 Paul Feig also said that he imagined the show eventually becoming a story about the whole town who got out of it and who didn t Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC He saw Lindsay Weir eventually becoming an artist in Greenwich village, then a human rights lawyer. 17 Busy Philipps and Linda Cardenelli were friends and classmates at Loyola Marymount University before the show Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC / Via imgur.com It was Linda who convinced Busy to take the role of Kim Kelly, as she was on the fence about it because her agent advised her to hold out for a bigger part. 18 The show was set in Michigan but filmed in California so the crew avoided shooting outside as much as possible so as not to get any tell-tale palm trees in shot Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 19 The stories in the show are based on the real experiences of the writers Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC Paul Feig and Judd Apatow had all the writers fill out highly detailed questionnaires of their most private experience in high school before they started writing, then put those experiences together and based their writing on that. 20 In fact the infamous ~Parisian night~ disco jumpsuit that Sam Weir wears is something that happened to Paul Feig Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 21 The crew and cinematographer were under strict instructions to use green and grey lighting to make the show look drab and overcast Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 22 Lizzy Caplan of Mean Girls fame auditioned for the roles of both Lindsay Weir and Kim Kelly before eventually being cast as Sara Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 23 Judd Apatow and Paul Feig told Linda Cardenelli and Busy Phillips not to lose weight for the show unlike what most actresses would ve been told at the time because they were so adamant that the characters should look like real believable kids Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 24 It was the lowest rated TV show on NBC for weeks when it was first broadcast Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC Their base-line viewership was 7 million, which would actually be a hit by today's standards. 25 Judd Apatow often sees the movies he makes as continuations of characters of Freaks and Geeks which is why he often casts the actors from the show Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC 26 Ben Stiller appeared in the 17th episode as a favour to Judd Apatow in an effort to prevent the show being cancelled However by the time that episode aired the show had already been cancelled NBC 27 In that timeless perfect scene in which Martin Starr s character is eating dinner and laughing at Gary Shandling on the TV he is actually laughing at Apatow and another series writer shouting dirty jokes at him because Starr didn t actually find Shandling funny View this video on YouTube youtube.com 28 Paul Feig dreams of turning the series into a stage musical Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC Please, someone, make this happen. 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