31 Behind-The-Scenes Entertainment Features From 2014 That Deserve The Spotlight

This year, BuzzFeed Entertainment talked to the people behind some of the biggest projects of the year (like The Hunger Games, American Horror Story, and Serial) and reminisced with others who helped make past favorites (like Friends, Twin Peaks, and Hey Dude). Warning: SPOILERS ABOUND!

Jaimie Etkin for BuzzFeed

1. Behind The Curtain Of "American Horror Story: Freak Show" —Jarett Wieselman

FX

BuzzFeed News went on an exclusive visit to the American Horror Story: Freak Show set to find out about the celebrated franchise's most controversial season yet, whether or not this is really the end for Jessica Lange, and who will be returning for Season 5.

2. How The "Hunger Games" Team Brought "Mockingjay – Part 1" From The Page To The Screen —Adam B. Vary

Murray Close / Lionsgate

Director Francis Lawrence, screenwriter Peter Craig, and producer Nina Jacobson spoke to BuzzFeed News about adapting the final installment of Suzanne Collins' best-selling franchise. MAJOR SPOILERS!

3. How "Arrow" Finally Got Superhero Television Right —Kate Aurthur

Alice Mongkongllite for BuzzFeed / Via Warner Bros. Television / The CW

In Season 3, Oliver Queen's alter ego, Arrow, has faced Ra's al Ghul as the Big Bad. But for fans and The CW, he's already won.

4. "Jesus Loves Winners": How "Drop Dead Gorgeous" Found Cult Success As A Flop —Louis Peitzman

John Gara / Buzzfeed

Underrated satire Drop Dead Gorgeous came and went in theaters 15 years ago, rejected by audiences and critics alike. Now that it's a cult classic, the cast and crew tell BuzzFeed News why the film is more popular than ever before.

5. 18 Gasp-Worthy Secrets About "Downton Abbey" Season 5 From The Cast —Jace Lacob

ITV

Michelle Dockery, Allen Leech, Laura Carmichael, and Joanne Froggatt share details about the new season with BuzzFeed News. Warning: SPOILERS ahead if you haven’t finished Season 4.

6. Inside Hollywood’s Shocking Blackface Problem —Kelley L. Carter

Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed

A civil rights fight that was thought to have been eradicated years ago is nevertheless taking place in the entertainment industry. So why is Hollywood still "painting down" stuntpeople?

7. How "Parenthood" Broke Down The Autism Awareness Barrier —Emily Orley

AP Photo / Colleen Hayes for NBC

With showrunner Jason Katims' raw storytelling and the passion and dedication of young actor Max Burkholder, the NBC drama has depicted a journey never before seen on network television, shedding light on life on the spectrum.

8. "Serial" Is The Year's Best New Crime Drama (And It's Not On TV) —Alison Willmore

Elise Bergerson

Seriously, it's time you subscribed to true crime podcast Serial, which casts an obsessive lure to its enraptured listeners. Plus, Sarah Koenig on the potential lack of resolution for the curious case of Adnan Syed.

9. There Are A Whole Lot Of Penises In "Neighbors" —Ariane Lange

Glen Wilson / Universal Pictures

And with that comes plenty of homoeroticism. Stars Zac Efron and Seth Rogen and the men behind the movie talk about the plethora of penis jokes.

10. 21 Things You Didn't Know About "Friends," According To Gunther —Jaimie Etkin, Emily Orley, and Krystie Lee Yandoli

Erik Matey/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Gunther and Joey almost kissed, people!

11. Meet The Woman Who Made History With Marvel's "Guardians Of The Galaxy" —Adam B. Vary

Marvel

Nicole Perlman was tired of hearing she couldn't write "masculine" movies, and now she's the first female writer credited on a Marvel Studios film.

12. How ABC's "Black-ish" Became America's No. 1 New Comedy —Kelley L. Carter

Adam Taylor / ABC

The Anthony Anderson-led sitcom pokes fun at cultural, racial, and generational nuances, scoring mainstream success in the process.

13. Behind The Changes That Brought "Into The Woods" From Stage To Screen —Louis Peitzman

Peter Mountain/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"I think if you did a literal stage adaptation, it would be a really crappy movie," Into the Woods screenwriter James Lapine told BuzzFeed News. WARNING: Major spoilers for Into the Woods, both the musical and the film.

14. The Ghost Of V.C. Andrews: The Life, Death, And Afterlife Of The Mysterious "Flowers In The Attic" Author —Kate Aurthur

Thomas VanCleave / Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed

At age 56, an unknown, wheelchair-bound writer from Virginia published a gothic teen-horror classic and became a phenomenon. Seven years later, she was dead, yet her name and legacy have lived on in nearly 70 subsequent books. For the first time ever, her family and colleagues tell BuzzFeed News the story of V.C. Andrews' unlikely rise to immortality.

15. What’s At Stake For Thor, Captain America, And The "Avengers" Franchise —Adam B. Vary

Marvel / Justine Zwiebel for BuzzFeed

On the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans explain what's next for their respective superheroes, and for the actors outside of the Marvel Studios universe.

16. Meet The Woman (Besides Tatiana Maslany) Who Plays Every Single "Orphan Black" Clone —Jarett Wieselman

BBC America

Kathryn Alexandre has been in every episode of Orphan Black, but you don't know her face. The show's clone double speaks about the behind-the-scenes role of a lifetime.

17. "Gone Girl" Writer Gillian Flynn Takes On Picky Fans, Men's Rights Activists, And Cool Girls —Alison Willmore

Merrick Morton/Twentieth Century Fox/Regency Enterprises

The author and screenwriter talks to BuzzFeed News about David Fincher's film, its detractors, and adapting a seemingly unadaptable novel. Warning: Major spoilers for Gone Girl the movie and the novel contained within!

18. The "True Detective" Creator Debunks Your Craziest Theories —Kate Aurthur

Lacey Terrell / HBO

As Sunday's finale looms, Nic Pizzolatto discusses the first season's arc, crazy fan theories, misogyny, female nudity on the show, and Season 2.

19. How The Most Important Movie Of The Year Came To Be —Kelley L. Carter

Atsushi Nishijima/Paramount Pictures

Originally, Selma focused on President Lyndon B. Johnson, until director Ava DuVernay stepped in. "I wasn't interested in telling the story of a white savior," she told BuzzFeed News.

20. The Man At The Center Of DC's TV Multiverse —Jarett Wieselman

Jenny Chang for BuzzFeed / Via The CW, NBC, FOX

DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns reveals the strategy behind the company's sudden TV omnipresence, why secrecy isn't always the best policy when it comes to superheroes, and why they're doing things differently than Marvel.

21. The Greatest Living Animation Director Explains Why He's Retiring —Adam B. Vary

Ken Ishii / Getty Images; Studio Ghibli

In a rare interview, Hayao Miyazaki tells BuzzFeed News why his latest movie The Wind Rises is also his last.

22. The "Hey Dude" Cast Spills Behind-The-Scenes Secrets Nearly 25 Years Later —Jarett Wieselman and Jaimie Etkin

Jaimie Etkin for BuzzFeed

Who was the biggest flirt on the Bar None Ranch? BuzzFeed News asked the cast of Hey Dude to reveal what it was really like on the set of the '90s Nickelodeon hit series.

23. The Man Who Made The Year's Best (And Funniest) Film About Race —Alison Willmore

Jon Premosch/BuzzFeed News

Meet Justin Simien, the director of Dear White People, the movie everyone's going to be talking about. "In a nation that is increasingly more diverse, you're at a handicap the more you refuse to see the world through other people’s points of views," he told BuzzFeed News.

24. It's Time To Revisit The Greatest TV Show Ever (That No One Watched) —Kelley L. Carter

HBO

If you missed The Wire the first go-round, HBO Signature will marathon all five seasons starting Dec. 26. Cast members talk to BuzzFeed News about why the show was ahead of its time.

25. The Blockbuster Bromance That Is Taking Over Hollywood —Adam B. Vary

Macey J. Foronda/BuzzFeed

With movies like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, and its self-aware sequel, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have charted the most creative and unlikely career path in Hollywood — all because they have each other.

26. The Magic Behind Some Of The Most Horrific (And Hilarious) "American Horror Story: Coven" Scenes —Jaimie Etkin

FX via vulture.com

FX via vulture.com

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has directed more than a dozen episodes of the hit FX anthology series American Horror Story — and this year, he was nominated for his first Emmy. He dissects his favorite Coven moments (and yes, “Surprise, bitch!” is one of them) for BuzzFeed News.

27. Whatever Happened To The Seal From "Andre"? —Ariane Lange

Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection

In 1994, Andre was a mild hit, but the fate of the animal at its center remained decidedly unclear. This is the story of how the sea lion lead of a film "based on a true story" became a movie star, a Katrina hurricane refugee, and a Bahamian expatriate.

28. "Twin Peaks" Co-Creator Mark Frost On The Series' Return To Television —Jace Lacob

Aaron Spelling Prods/Courtesy Everett Collection

Damn fine news: After 25 years, Twin Peaks is headed to Showtime with a nine-episode limited series. BuzzFeed News spoke to Frost about the revival and what fans can expect.

29. The Most Sane Woman In Hollywood —Adam B. Vary

Mark Blinch / Reuters

Longtime film producer Susan Downey talked with BuzzFeed News about how she's navigated the movie business by avoiding as much drama as possible, and her latest venture, a production company with husband Robert Downey Jr.

30. 17 Tiny Things The Writers Of "Criminal Minds" Need You To Know —Ariane Lange

CBS / Via tumblr.com

For the Behavioral Analysis Unit, it's all in the details. Some insider information from the show's executive producers, in honor of the 200th episode.

31. 10 Burning Questions About "X-Men: Days Of Future Past," Answered —Jace Lacob and Adam B. Vary

Alan Markfield / 20th Century Fox

Producer-screenwriter Simon Kinberg explains why Wolverine was sent back and not Kitty Pryde; how Prof. X came back to life; and what this all means for the future of the X-Men. Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS!