Gere and Norton reportedly reshaped the roles through rehearsal, with producers emphasizing Gere’s character preferences.
Norton recalled rejected endings in which the lawyer punched the client, trapped him with a recorder or otherwise regained the upper hand.
Gere reportedly insisted the final image show his defeated lawyer with sagging shoulders, rather than a redemptive victory.
The coveted young-actor role reportedly attracted 2,100 auditions, compared with School Ties and Scent of a Woman opportunities.
Connie Britton reportedly encouraged Norton to audition after he had encouraged her to try The Brothers McMullen; she was reading for the Maura Tierney role.
Norton added the stutter to distinguish his audition.
Norton said the widely circulated audition tape secured his Woody Allen and Larry Flynt roles before Primal Fear opened; he compared its fame to a Nirvana demo.
Norton’s supporting-actor Oscar rivals were Woods in Ghosts of Mississippi, Mueller-Stahl in Shine, Macy in Fargo and winner Gooding in Jerry Maguire.
The reported budget was $30 million and gross $102 million.
Hoblit reportedly insisted on stage actress Linney for the part.
The original cut reportedly exceeded three hours before being shortened.
The stutter was absent from both book and script.
Norton reportedly improvised shoving Gere against the cell, producing genuine surprise.
Norton reportedly improvised the slow clap.
The police-station exterior was also used for Hill Street Blues, on which Hoblit worked.
