A rumor that Jodie Foster declined Helen to make Nell is explicitly unconfirmed and doubted. Cameron’s familiarity with Curtis through Kathryn Bigelow’s Blue Steel is offered as context. — Bill Simmons
Tom Arnold reportedly auditioned mainly to meet Cameron, displayed chemistry with Schwarzenegger, and won the role after joking he could beat him up. His failure to repeat this career peak is discussed; uncertainty about McHale’s Navy is corrected. — Bill Simmons
Carrere reportedly said she replaced Karina Lombard after shooting began; Lombard is identified through her role in The Firm. — Bill Simmons
Working titles Johnny Utah and Riders on the Storm; Keanu Reeves had never surfed and later took it up; Swayze had surfed only a couple of times; Lori Petty had never been in the ocean; two real surfers among the ex-presidents; Swayze really skydived, over 30 jumps, until a cease and desist; a body double in the foot chase while Swayze promoted Ghost; Swayze cracked four ribs; surf scenes at Latigo Beach in Malibu and the finale at Indian Beach in Oregon; Catherine Bigelow said Bodhi died
Point Break was first called Johnny Utah, the working title for years, then Riders on the Storm, which the studio liked less and which brings the Doors song to mind; Point Break is called a perfect, short, fast action title.
Keanu had not surfed and learned for the film; Swayze had surfed a couple of times but was not good yet; Lori Petty had never been in the ocean; the researcher admits not being positive any of it is true.
The ex-president crew included two real surfers who were not actors; Swayze really did his own skydiving out of the plane; Keanu took up surfing as a hobby afterwards; a body double was used for Swayze in the foot chase because he was overseas promoting Ghost.
Swayze became Bodhi during filming, cracked four ribs, did almost all of his chase scenes and over 30 parachute jumps until the production company issued a cease and desist; in the end fight he really kicks Keanu in the chest, with the camera staying on Keanu's face.
The surf scenes were mostly shot at Latigo Beach in Malibu, but the final scene was not shot at Bells Beach, home of the 50-year storm; it was Indian Beach in Oregon, which bums a host out.
Added late: Catherine Bigelow, the director, said in an interview that Bodhi did die at the end, which the hosts jokingly call a spoiler.
Broderick as Johnny Utah does not work: picture him in the beach football scene, or playing basketball in The Cable Guy; Ferris Bueller cannot be a former football superstar, so the whole script would have to change.
Asked Johnny Depp or Keanu Reeves for the lead, the answer is Keanu: the role needs the doofus surfer voice and airheadedness played completely seriously without blending the two, which only Keanu can do, whereas Depp would have done it well and accidentally turned into a surfer for real.
Another agrees with everything said: Depp would have taken it a little too seriously, while Keanu had the unintentional comedy part of it; Depp as a football quarterback might have been its own unintentional comedy.
Nobody can picture Depp running, much less chasing Swayze sixty yards down the longest football field of all time, shedding nine blockers; the joke is that a quarterback who can tackle like that must have thrown a lot of picks, capped with 'Ohio State, baby.'
Early on, while setting up who Keanu was in 1991, a host mentions reading that Matthew Roderick (as transcribed) was considered for the Keanu role and is told this steps on the half-assed internet research corner.
