Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg Talk About the Scrapped INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM Scene That Had Her in a Panic

Snakes… why’d it have to be snakes? Not only was Indiana Jones not a fan of the slithering serpent, but so was actress Kate Capshaw, who played opposite Harrison Ford in the sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The second film in the franchise almost saw the return of Indy’s reptilian nemeses, but when Capshaw was faced with a snake, she nearly lost her cool.

In a couple of interviews in "The Making of the Temple of Doom" (via /Film), producer Frank Marshall said he was eager to get the shot with minimum fuss, so he thought he could ease Capshaw's fears by introducing her to the reptile with whom she'd be sharing a very brief scene. It didn't go well.

Capshaw explained:

"I went over and looked at it, and looking at it, I get tears in my eyes and I'm having a hard time breathing and I'm looking... I can almost work myself up right now. And I went over and I put my hand on the snake, and I lost it."

Spielberg noticed. As he says in the documentary:

"She was shaking and she was all white, and you could see right through her makeup. She had lost all of her color. And I said, 'I'm not gonna put you through this. Let's cut it out.' And I cut the whole scene out of the movie. I think she probably years and years later, married me for that!"

They're still together 32 years later, so Spielberg probably made the right call!