It’s been nearly three decades since Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element exploded onto movie screens, but the film’s neon-drenched chaos and unforgettable characters are as beloved—and as mysterious—as ever. Now, star Milla Jovovich has opened up about the secrets, struggles, and serendipity that shaped the 1997 cult classic, and fans are seeing it in a whole new light.

Chaos in Couture: How “The Fifth Element” Broke Every Rule

When The Fifth Element debuted in 1997, it didn’t just bend the rules of sci-fi—it gleefully tossed them out the window of a flying taxi. Critics called it “chaos in couture,” and for good reason: Besson’s vision was a fever dream of wild fashion, alien opera, and daylight explosions, set in a future that was both dazzling and deeply strange.

But beneath the surface spectacle, there was a method to the madness. As Milla Jovovich recently revealed, the film’s tightly controlled chaos was the result of years of world-building, personal passion, and creative risk-taking that began long before cameras rolled.

The Secret Origins: A Teenager’s Dream

The story of The Fifth Element began not in a Hollywood boardroom, but in the quiet solitude of rural France. Luc Besson, born in Paris but raised by scuba-diving parents who moved across the Mediterranean, spent much of his childhood far from TV and city lights. Isolated and often lonely, he turned inward, dreaming up elaborate universes to fill the silence.

By age 16, Besson had begun writing what would become The Fifth Element—an epic, hand-written trilogy spanning over 400 pages. His early vision was a sprawling galactic mythology, complete with warring alien civilizations, spiritual artifacts, and the four classical elements guarded by ancient races. At its heart was a mysterious “fifth element”—the embodiment of life itself.

As Besson’s career blossomed with hits like La Femme Nikita and Léon: The Professional, he kept his sci-fi opus alive, refining it in secret. But when he finally pitched it to major studios, the sheer scale proved too ambitious for the era. Columbia Pictures, the eventual distributor, insisted on a single, feature-length film. Besson compressed his epic into one movie—and the result was cinematic lightning in a bottle.

Casting Against Convention: From Mel Gibson to Milla Jovovich

The film’s casting was as unconventional as its plot. While Bruce Willis ultimately brought his signature blend of toughness and wit to the role of Korben Dallas, the ex-military cabbie, he wasn’t Besson’s first choice. That honor went to Mel Gibson, who passed on the role, leaving the door open for Willis just as he wrapped Die Hard with a Vengeance.

Gary Oldman, already a chameleon in films like Dracula and Léon, was cast as the villainous Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg—reportedly as a personal favor to Besson, despite not fully understanding the script. His flamboyant, eccentric performance would become one of the film’s most memorable.

But the real revelation was Milla Jovovich, then a 21-year-old model and actress, chosen from over 8,000 hopefuls to play Leeloo, the Supreme Being. Besson described her as having an “otherworldly aura,” perfect for a character who was at once innocent, powerful, and utterly alien.

Jovovich threw herself into the role, learning a fictional language of over 400 words (created by Besson himself), and performing most of her own stunts. Her physicality and vulnerability elevated Leeloo from sci-fi cliché to pop culture icon.

Love, Betrayal, and a Language All Their Own

Behind the scenes, real-life drama rivaled anything onscreen. During filming, Besson’s marriage to actress Maïwenn Le Besco—who played the blue-skinned Diva Plavalaguna—quietly unraveled as he fell for Jovovich. Their relationship became public soon after the film’s Cannes premiere, and they married later that year, though the union lasted only two years.

Perhaps most fascinating was the private language Besson and Jovovich developed for Leeloo. What began as a storytelling device soon became a secret code between director and star, deepening Jovovich’s immersion in the role and lending Leeloo’s alienation an authentic edge.

Physical Commitment: Pain, Sweat, and Real Flames

If The Fifth Element looked physically demanding, that’s because it was. Jovovich trained in martial arts and insisted on performing most of her own stunts, sustaining bruises and sprains along the way. The film’s practical effects were equally intense: the infamous ZF-One weapon wielded by Zorg was a real, partially functional prop, and during one test, its flamethrower nearly set the set ablaze.

Besson’s commitment to practical effects set The Fifth Element apart from its CGI-heavy contemporaries. Of the film’s 900+ visual effects shots, only about 188 relied heavily on digital trickery. Explosions, collapsing sets, and even the destruction of the Diva’s concert hall were achieved with real pyrotechnics and meticulous choreography—meaning the actors’ reactions were as real as the fire and smoke swirling around them.

Fashion as World-Building: Jean Paul Gaultier’s Galactic Vision

Costume design was more than window-dressing—it was world-building. Legendary designer Jean Paul Gaultier created over 1,000 unique costumes, each tailored to express a character’s place in Besson’s universe. From the 80-pound Mondoshawan suits that left actors drenched in sweat, to Chris Tucker’s unforgettable leopard-print ensembles as Ruby Rhod, fashion became a language of its own.

Even Leeloo’s iconic bandage suit was designed for both symbolism and movement, embodying rebirth and vulnerability as much as sci-fi spectacle.

The “Multipass” Mystery—And How a Throwaway Line Became Legend

And then there’s “Multipass.” Delivered in Leeloo’s staccato accent, the line was never meant to be a catchphrase. But Jovovich’s playful mispronunciation, encouraged by Besson, instantly resonated with fans. The moment—unscripted and spontaneous—became a pop culture phenomenon, referenced in everything from video games to animated TV shows, and immortalized in fan-made props and memes.

Jovovich, fluent in several languages, used her own linguistic quirks to make Leeloo’s English both alien and endearing. The result? A single word that captured the film’s offbeat heart.

A Sci-Fi Classic That Refuses to Fade

Today, The Fifth Element stands as a singular achievement in science fiction—a riot of color, chaos, and creativity that’s as emotionally resonant as it is visually wild. With Milla Jovovich’s recent revelations, fans are rediscovering the film’s hidden depths and real-life drama, and a new generation is falling under its spell.

As Jovovich herself says, the film endures not just because of its spectacle, but because of the real human emotion beneath the surface. “It’s about hope, love, and believing in something greater,” she explains. “That’s what makes it timeless.”

And for fans, that’s the real secret behind The Fifth Element’s lasting magic.