‘Kids’ Turns 20 Today & Still Has Plenty of Surprises in its History

On this day in 1995, a film entered theaters that, while under-performing at the box office, left an impression on viewers that has yet to subside. Even though it is one of the most discussed films in a generation (if not more), there are still aspects of Kids‘ history, production, and legacy that remain relatively unknown to the masses. Thankfully, the good folks at Dazed Digital teamed up with Genius to collect a wealth of little-known facts about the classic movie.

Most fans know that screenwriter Harmony Korine (who was 19 at the time) wrote Kids, but it’s less common knowledge that he played a large role in the creation of the film’s soundtrack, as well. According to music supervisor Randall Poster, he and Korine used to “jam out to a collection of vinyl until they came across grunge king Lou Barlow. Barlow’s band Folk Implosion slotted itself in perfectly to this unflinching nihilist vision.” Eventually, Barlow and his Folk Implosion band would end up contributing the song “Natural One,” which became a Top 40 hit to the surprise of everyone involved.

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Actor Justin Pierce (who played Casper in the film) passed away tragically in 2000, but his presence on set has ensured his perennial place in the memories of his fellow cast members and the crew. As a homeless skater, Pierce fit in perfectly with the film’s conceptual aesthetics but what many fans may not know is that he was also arrested during production. Cinematographer Eric Edwards shares “One of the times Justin (Pierce) did get arrested was when we were filming. He hit somebody or something and he threatened to commit suicide in jail – it really got ugly. We had to go down and bail him out. It was a big deal.” Also a little-known fact? Pierce did actual Whip-Its on camera despite never having done them before.

In the remainder of this historical account, there are tidbits of trivia shared about some of the film’s most memorable scenes as well as those which didn’t even make it into the final cut. Check out the insider accounts in full below, and re-watch the entire film right here.

Read: The Secret History of Kids at Dazed Digital.

Related: A Week Before it Turns 20, the Movie ‘Kids’ is Being Remembered as a Classic