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Pitt's chipped teeth; ear prosthetic; Meat Loaf's fat harness; misfired $20 million marketing; Rosie O'Donnell forgiven on commentary; EW's top DVD; Norton smoking; Starbucks refusal; UFC tapes; orgasm recordings; replaced abortion line; salary gap
In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:39Read transcript
- Pitt had pieces of his front teeth chipped off for the role and restored after filming.
- The makeup artist studied mixed martial arts on pay-per-view and designed an extra ear, inspired by Tyson-Holyfield.
- Meatloaf wore a 90-pound fat harness, and reportedly eight-inch lifts in scenes with Norton, which is doubted.
- Fox marketing executives ran a $20 million campaign selling it as a fight movie rather than a smart one.
- On the DVD commentary Pitt called Rosie O'Donnell's actions forgivable.
- Entertainment Weekly's 2001 list of 50 essential DVDs ranked it first; Boogie Nights would be the choice for greatest DVD.
- Norton refused to smoke in Rounders but smoked here.
- Starbucks allowed product placement but not the coffee-shop destruction, hence the renamed shop.
- Fincher and the cast studied UFC tapes.
- Pitt and Bonham Carter spent three days recording orgasm sounds.
- Laura Ziskin made Fincher cut Marla's abortion line; he agreed on condition she could not veto the replacement, the grade-school line.
- Pitt was paid $17.5 million and Norton $2.5 million.