In the film's opening sequence, Cole wears a clear plastic hazmat suit. You know, the one that looks like it belongs on every hypochondriac's Christmas list. Terry Gilliam liked the prop so much that he gave it a name, "the human condition." Jeez, even this guy's pet names come with layers of meaning. (Source: DVD Production Notes)

The Hamster Factor sounds like Fear Factor's cuddly, if ill-conceived, spin-off. But it is actual a term the production crew devised to describe Gilliam's hard-core perfectionism.

As the story goes, Gilliam spent an entire day shooting the scene where Cole draws his own blood. The reason for the delay? The hamster wouldn't spin his hamster wheel, meaning Gilliam couldn't get a shadow effect he wanted on the wall. The reason for the hamster's defiance? That remains a mystery, but our guess is that the beastie's agent didn't properly negotiate its cage bedding. (Source)

Brad Pitt's acting as Jeffery Goines is, well, crazy. To coax Pitt's nervous, manic performance, Gilliam took away the actor's cigarettes while filming. So basically, the production of 12 Monkeys was Gilliam's personal Skinner Box. (Source)

Bruce Willis plays John McClane in the Die Hard series, a man so hard to kill he's survived a tower full of terrorists, an exploding airplane, and four subpar sequels. Given Willis' reputation for playing tough guys, you'd think his death in 12 Monkeys would be the exception to the rule.

Not so fast. Willis has died in a total of eleven movies as of 2010 and several more afterward (does Looper count?). Sure, it doesn't compare to Sean Bean's graveyard of characters…but it's an impressive death count nonetheless. (Source)