Doc Copper’s nose ring in The Thing was the actor’s own idea

Richard Dysart, who played Dr. Copper in John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), showed up on the Antarctic set with a nose ring in his right nostril. Carpenter let it ride, which means a 50-something military camp physician in 1982 Antarctica has a visible nose piercing throughout the film.

Fans have been arguing about it for decades. The Outpost #31 fan for…