Gene Wilder is reported as a candidate for Royal Tenenbaum.
Michael Caine is described as the second choice after Hackman resisted the part.
Hackman objected to a role written for him, a three-month commitment, and scale pay.
Hackman accepted after learning that the production had turned toward Caine.
The participants think Caine could have been good but that his casting would create a completely different movie.
Anderson's early family drawings included other unidentified actor ideas that cannot be recovered from the transcript.

Half-Assed Internet Research

The research covers locations, literary and film influences, announcer voices, cast scheduling, Hackman's behavior, Bill Murray, the real house, period products, and Margot's cigarettes.

In the discussion (17)

Approx. transcript time · 01:17:46Read transcript

The address 111 Archer is a real Harlem location near 144th Street.
Royal's unnamed hotel is represented by the Waldorf Astoria.
The film presents itself as an adaptation of a book that never existed, including visible page turns.
The discussion cites Louis Malle, the French New Wave, and Orson Wells among the film's influences; other names in the segment are sensitive to transcription errors.
The Magnificent Ambersons is identified as an especially strong influence on The Royal Tenenbaums.
Wes Anderson and Andrew Wilson voiced the announcers during Richie's tennis collapse.
An internet claim says Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson declined Ocean's Eleven roles to appear in this film; the speaker explicitly labels the claim uncertain.
The shoot was arranged around the cast's limited availability.
Gene Hackman was reportedly combative on set, with a possibly apocryphal story that Bill Murray confronted him.
Bill Murray's small performance is praised for understanding Anderson's tone and elevating limited screen time.
Murray is described as difficult to contact because he works without a conventional agent.
The production found the real house after foreclosure and rented it before the buyer renovated it.
The reported rent equaled what the buyer had paid for the house.
Recognizable New York places and real products remain visible even inside the film's carefully designed world.
Chas's office uses real iMacs, and Royal shoplifts gummy bears rather than genericized products.
Margot's cigarette brand is reported as an Irish brand discontinued in the late 1970s or 1980s.
The participants joke that Margot's brief smoking style anticipates vaping.

Recasting Couch

For a present-day Royal, the participants propose Robert Downey Jr. and John Goodman.

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:22:21Read transcript

The participants focus on recasting Royal rather than the siblings.
Robert Downey Jr. is proposed as a major actor who could use a substantial non-franchise role later in his career.
The idea is qualified because Downey may still seem too young to be the aging family patriarch.
The uncertainty is whether Downey could still make Royal's emotional turn credible after years of movie-star franchise performances.
Iron Man 3 is cited as a possible recent example of a genuine emotional response from Downey.
John Goodman is the second proposal because he can be physically imposing while handling stage presence, drama, and comedy.

Picking Nits

The few objections concern Chas's tracksuits, Richie's suicide timing, Royal's moral turn, and whether the Raleigh St. Clair subplot is necessary.

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 01:24:06Read transcript

Chas and his sons wearing tracksuits constantly is not explained within the film.
Anderson reportedly explained the tracksuits as clothes that keep Chas ready to move at any moment.
The funeral's black tracksuits make the unexplained wardrobe choice worthwhile as a visual joke.
Richie saying he will kill himself tomorrow and then acting immediately is questioned.
The offered explanation is that saying the intention aloud and recalling Margot makes the decision immediate while the razor is available.
The panel questions why Royal flips from bad to good without a more explicit transition.
The counterargument is that spending time with the family is itself enough to change Royal, without a scripted speech explaining it.
The film's dense visual detail never becomes excessive enough that either participant would remove an element.
Raleigh St. Clair and Dudley's subplot may be unnecessary to Margot's discovery, but it remains welcome as part of the film's larger tapestry.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

The central question is how the Tenenbaums continue funding their lifestyle.

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:32:59Read transcript

The participants ask how the family funds its lifestyle after its members fall on hard times.
Royal's earlier litigation income and outright ownership of the house are proposed as partial answers.
Chas and Richie are proposed as the family members most likely supplying continuing funds.