The Don Quixote costume Jonathan Pryce wore while making Terry Gilliam's new film was the same one created for Jean Rochefort 20 years ago.
The late French actor signed on to play Miguel de Cervantes' literary knight when the Monty Python star first started work on his labour of love, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, in 2000 - but the shoot only lasted six days before it was abandoned following a flash flood on the set and financial issues.
Gilliam has attempted to revamp the project several times, with John Hurt and Michael Palin as his Quixotes, but he eventually made the movie with Pryce, and before filming got underway, Gilliam asked his wardrobe mistress to see if Rochefort's costume had survived.
"(Cinematopher) Nicola Pecorini just happened to be on the phone to Carlo Poggioli, who had been Gabriella Pescucci’s assistant, when we were first making the film. Earlier that day, he had actually opened the box containing the Quixote costume, because he was thinking of using it in an opera.
"We called Gabriella, and she was delighted that it would finally be used in the film. With (costume designer) Lena (Mossum) doing some adjustments, it fitted Jonathan perfectly."
The new film, which also features Adam Driver, is dedicated to Rochefort, who died in 2017.
Meanwhile, Gilliam recently told WENN Pryce spent years begging him to cast him as Don Quixote.
The Tomorrow Never Dies star insisted he was the perfect person to play the role and he refused to go away.
"I avoided working with him for many years because he kept pestering me wanting to play the part of Quixote, but he was too young - something that I didn't want at the time," the director told WENN. "It was only after the penultimate collapse, when Michael Palin, had enough of this Portuguese producer and his ways of working and he p**sed off; and there's Jonathan still banging at the door."
