Released in 1991, Hook is the retelling of a classic children’s story with an all-star cast including Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Maggie Smith, but there are several wild facts about the production. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Williams stars as Peter Banning, an overworked lawyer who does not remember his past as Peter Pan until he’s whisked away to Neverland after Hoffman’s Captain Hook kidnaps his children.

Hook has an elaborate setting of pirate ships and Neverland alongside detailed pirate costumes. However, there’s more to Hook that audiences may not have known as Peter Pan learns to fly and the Lost Boys try to take down Captain Hook. From celebrity cameos to musical numbers created by John Williams, these Hook facts are entirely unexpected.

10 Dustin Hoffman Had A Double Role

Dustin Hoffman portrays an incredibly memorable Captain Hook, but he briefly appears as another type of captain. On the Banning’s flight to England, Hoffman can be heard stating, “This is your captain speaking…” foreshadowing his appearance as Captain Hook. The moment also stands out because of Peter’s fear of flying. With Hoffman as both the pilot and Peter Pan’s foe, the small moment highlights Peter overcoming his fears throughout Hook to defeat his biggest adversaries.

9 Young Wendy Was One Of The First Roles For This Famous Face

The Young Wendy Darling is portrayed in a flashback and was Gwyneth Paltrow. Young Wendy appears when Tinkerbell helps a grown Peter remember how he was brought to Neverland, met the Darlings, and how he chose to stay with the Banning family after falling in love with Wendy’s granddaughter. It’s a minor role, and Paltrow is a mere teenager but recognizable when paying attention.

Though Paltrow is now known for her roles in such movies as Shakespeare in Love, Shallow Hal, and Pepper Pots in the MCU, portraying young Wendy in Hook is her second movie role. Paltrow also had major connections to the movie, as her godfather is Steven Spielberg.

8 Glenn Close's Hook Cameo

Glenn Close has an extensive decades-long resume, and Hook is a surprising blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role. With a wide array of acting credits, including such titles as Fatal Attraction and 101 Dalmatians, Close is completely unrecognizable as a member of Captain Hook’s pirate crew. Costumed as a bearded and dirty man named Gutless, Close’s pirate cameo can be found when Hook accuses her character of betting against him luring Peter back to Neverland.

Close’s pirate character is thrown into a wooden chest full of scorpions. Though the role is not as glamorous as Close’s Cruella de Vil, it’s a fun and unexpected cameo. Hook has a long list of famous cameos, but Close dressed as a pirate is the least obvious.

7 The Hook Was Reversed For Dustin Hoffman

Captain Hook has his hook affixed to his left hand because Dustin Hoffman is right-handed. However, in Peter Pan, the play, and the novel Peter and Wendy, Captain Hook is missing his right hand and often uses his hook as a weapon. Though Disney’s Peter Pan adaptation also features Captain Hook missing his left hand, Hook swapped the hook to make sword fighting easier for Hoffman.

Hoffman’s Captain Hook also has several different attachments for his missing hand. During the baseball scene, Hook has a baseball mitt attached to his missing limb. Other attachments include a goblet for drinking and a pointer.

6 Hook Is Spielberg’s First Razzie Nomination

Julia Roberts’ performance as Tinkerbell earned her a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst supporting actress, marking the first time a role in a Spielberg film had received a Razzie nomination. However, Hook was nominated for five categories at the 64th Academy Awards, including Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, and Best Original. Hoffman was even nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

However, Roberts had a less-than-stellar performance as the little fairy spreading pixie dust. Carrie Fisher was the prototype for Tinkerbell and even helped polish some of Tinkerbell’s dialogue, but Roberts could not carry the character.

5 Hook Was Originally A Musical

Spielberg originally envisioned Hook as a musical but removed all the songs shortly before production. Composer John Williams wrote a number of songs alongside lyricist Leslie Bricusse which were even rehearsed before Spielberg pulled the plug. Several instrumental versions of the songs still appear on Hook’s soundtrack.

Hook would be a very different movie if it were a musical. While Robin Williams and Hoffman have the personalities to pull off musical numbers, song and dance would change the movie's rhythm and interrupt more serious storylines, such as Peter’s son wanting to remain with Hook because Peter breaks promises. So removing the musical numbers was the best thing to happen to Hook.

4 Dodi Fayed Has An Executive Producer Credit On Hook

Dodi Fayed, a film producer and the romantic partner of Princess Diana when the duo was killed in a car crash in 1997, is an executive producer for Hook. As the son of billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, Fayed worked for his family’s production company, Allied Stars. Through Allied Stars, Fayed served as executive producer on only a few movies, including Breaking Glass, F/X, and F/X 2.

Fayed also produced Chariots of Fire, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and The Scarlet Letter starring Demi Moore. However, Fayed owned certain rights to make a Peter Pan film and sold his rights to Hook’s production company, TriStar Pictures, in exchange for an executive producer credit.

3 The Mysterious Floating Couple Is Well Known

George Lucas and Carrie Fisher cameo in Hook as a kissing couple on the bridge. When Tinkerbell is flying an adult Peter back to Neverland, pixie dust falls onto the duo on the bridge, which also causes them to float. Fisher has additional connections to Hook as she helped with Tinkerbell’s dialogue and some script doctoring. Lucas was given a cameo as a friend of Spielberg with connections to Fisher after Star Wars. Lucas and Fisher reuniting for a random cameo in Hook is an often-overlooked moment.

2 Bob Hoskins Reprised His Role For The Neverland Series

As Captain Hook’s right-hand man, Bob Hoskins reprised his role of Mr. Smee for SyFy’s Neverland. The fantasy miniseries Neverland served as a prequel to the story of Peter Pan and depicted Hook and Peter’s falling out. A young Jimmy Hook and his delinquent friends are transported to Neverland with an orb, leaving Peter behind.

In Neverland, Mr. Smee worked for Captain Bonny until her death when Captain Hook took over the ship. Considering the time between roles, Hoskins fits right back into the crew as Smee. Reprising his role of Mr. Smee for Neverland is one of Hoskins' final performances before he died in 2014.

1 Maggie Smith Was 56 In Hook (But Her Character Was Much, Much Older)

Best known for her role as Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter, Smith looks incredibly younger than in Hook 10 years prior. If Maggie Smith's appearance in Hook as the elder Granny Wendy is shocking, it’s because she was aged significantly. Though Smith was only 56 years old then, Granny Wendy was in her 90s.

Appearing frail as she tries to convince Peter of his past, Smith’s transformation into Granny Wendy is truly shocking but believable. With plenty of makeup and her soft demeanor, Smith manages to play the part perfectly. At 88 years old, Smith still hasn’t reached the age of Granny Wendy in Hook.