Half-Assed Internet Research
Research covers locations, Begby’s private backstory, preparation films, US edits, and early accent replacement.
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:09Read transcript
- The story is set in Edinburgh but was largely filmed in Glasgow.
- Kelly Macdonald is reported to have been a 19-year-old Scottish waitress who answered a casting flyer.
- The cast was shown Goodfellas, A Clockwork Orange, The Exorcist, and The Hustler as preparation.
- Robert Carlyle privately played Begby as a closeted gay man whose rage turns against friends rather than the person he meets at the club.
- The Lost Boys was another preparation film used to evoke young people living dangerously.
- The US cut shortened explicit needle footage and showed less of Ewan McGregor during the sex scene.
- For the US release, some opening dialogue was replaced to make the Scottish accents easier to understand.