Gooding reportedly auditioned early and remained the benchmark despite later auditions including Jamie Foxx. His voluntary decision to undress for an audition scene is corrected after a misunderstanding that he was required to. — Bill Simmons
Gooding receiving his Oscar from Mira Sorvino is noted because she reportedly lost Dorothy when her agents requested too much money. — Bill Simmons
Crowe reportedly wrote for Hanks and Winona Ryder; Hanks passed after the long writing process to make That Thing You Do!, and Ryder with Cruise seemed too sibling-like. Woody Harrelson reportedly rejected an offer because audiences would not care about an agent; his hypothetical casting is considered inferior to Cruise. — Bill Simmons
Jennifer Lopez auditioned, but Connie Britton was reportedly the final alternative to Zellweger. Britton's height theory and reportedly disastrous screen test are discussed without settling the reason. — Bill Simmons
Jamie Foxx's Rod audition is revisited as a plausible different version of the role, with Willie Beamen later giving him a sports-film showcase. — Bill Simmons
Janet Jackson reportedly auditioned and accepted Marcee before the deal fell through; Regina King replaced her and the film helped move her toward major Hollywood roles. — Bill Simmons
Diane Lane as Avery is an uncorroborated casting rumor that excites interest; Preston's death is distinguished from Lane, who is alive.
Gere and Norton reportedly reshaped the roles through rehearsal, with producers emphasizing Gere’s character preferences. — Chris Ryan
Norton recalled rejected endings in which the lawyer punched the client, trapped him with a recorder or otherwise regained the upper hand. — Bill Simmons
Gere reportedly insisted the final image show his defeated lawyer with sagging shoulders, rather than a redemptive victory. — Bill Simmons
The coveted young-actor role reportedly attracted 2,100 auditions, compared with School Ties and Scent of a Woman opportunities. — Bill Simmons
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 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. — Bill Simmons
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. — Bill Simmons
The reported budget was $30 million and gross $102 million. — Bill Simmons
Hoblit reportedly insisted on stage actress Linney for the part.
The original cut reportedly exceeded three hours before being shortened. — Bill Simmons
The stutter was absent from both book and script. — Bill Simmons
Norton reportedly improvised shoving Gere against the cell, producing genuine surprise. — Bill Simmons
A sprawling 10-episode show would work better than the movie: a cliffhanger with her rushed to the hospital, new characters like the rival, and more sex and debauchery. — Bill Simmons
Objection: fatigue from watching her relapse every episode; conceded, with a suggestion she is stable from episodes three to seven.
Nashville, starting in 2012 with Connie Britton as the fading country star and Hayden Panettiere as the rising Taylor Swift figure, had a similar setup; its first season was good, and this could definitely be remade as a Netflix show.
