'The Shawkshank Redemption' Cast Was Abnormally Tall, Hooped Together While Filming

Tim Robbins was the latest guest on 10 Questions With Kyle Brandt. This actually happened. It wasn't some sort of Jacob's Ladder situation. At one point the conversation, as it so often does, turned to The Shawshank Redemption. Robbins confirmed that during filming, he and Morgan Freeman would barbecue and one of them would partake in some earthy, potentially-illegal-depending-on-your-location-now-but-universally-illegal-then substances.

Filming in the bustling town of Mansfield, Ohio, making one's own fun was a bit more of a focused effort and led to some halfcourt basketball games between Robbins and Clancy Brown, who played Byron Hadley in the masterpiece. So it was Andy Dufrense vs. the main guard on the hardwood or pavement, battling it out for bragging rights, if you let your mind imagine such a thing. And if you need help getting there, well, Red is a man known for getting things, indica or otherwise.

What a scene, man. Really adds new layers. Really adds a wrinkle to this pivotal moment. This is the intensity only brought on by bumping uglies in the paint with someone. You can tell these two have been to war in the makebelieve Eastern Conference Finals several times.

This little tidbit, delightful on the surface, led to another realization. People forget that the Shawkshank cast was a bucket. Er, their heads were close to the bucket. Brown is listed at 6-foot-3. Freeman is 6-foot-2. Robbins checks in at a towering 6-foot-5, but taller in prison-issued boots. Brian Libby, who played Floyd, is 6-foot-4. Rarely if ever is such a tall call sheet collected in one place, unless it's a basketball-specific film.

With four of the starting five essentially decided, it makes sense to throw ol' Bogs in there as a wildcard fifth. Sure, Mark Rolston is a shade under 6-feet, but you can't deny his tenacity and willingness to mix it up. Watch out for foul trouble, though.