History Trivia / EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind

* ColbertBump: Even though the fact that "Clementine" is an easy name to make fun of is pointed out in the movie, it became a ''[[https://www.names.org/n/clementine/about#overall-popularity substantially]]'' more popular name for baby girls right after the movie came out. Coincidence? Maybe...

* TechnologyMarchesOn: * UnintentionalPeriodPiece: With the rise of social media since the film was made, it would be much harder to have every indication of Joel and Clementine's existence erased from each other's lives. This has actually become a big piece of FanficFuel.

** Clementine punches Joel in the train scene. Kate Winslet actually hit Jim Carey, and his reaction is real.

* DeletedRole: Creator/EllenPompeo initially appeared in the film as Joel's ex girlfriend Naomi, who is only mentioned in the final cut. A subplot would have had Joel having a one night stand with her. Creator/TracyMorgan also filmed scenes which didn't make the final cut.

* DeletedRole: Creator/EllenPompeo initially appeared in the film as Joel's ex girlfriend Naomi, who is only mentioned in the final cut. A subplot would have had Joel having a one night stand with her.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: With the rise of social media since the film was made, it would be much harder to completely erase every indication of a person's existence from your life. This has actually become a big piece of FanficFuel.

** As opposed to their usual roles, Creator/JimCarrey plays TheComicallySerious while Kate Winslet plays the ManicPixieDreamGirl.

* SerendpityWritesThePlot: While filming in downtown Manhattan, they heard that there was a circus parade going on outside. Gondry grabbed a portable camera, and got some footage of Carrey and Winslet messing around in the crowd completely anonymous due to it being night time and since the actors were wearing winter gear. The result is one of the happier memories in the movie.

* AdvertisedExtra: Creator/KirstenDunst is in way less of the film than the marketing campaign made it out to be.

** Occurs throughout, as Carrey and Winslet were encouraged to talk about their relationships and heartbreaks to each other and generate a real friendship to help their character chemistry.

* {{Improv}}: Despite the fact that Creator/CharlieKaufman's script and Creator/MichelGondry's visual concepts were closely followed, the actors were allowed many chances to improvise. Creator/ElijahWood and Creator/MarkRuffalo improvised extensively, and much of the dialogue between Creator/JimCarrey and Creator/KateWinslet resulted from videotaped rehearsal sessions, during which the two actors became close by sharing tales of their real-life relationships and heartbreaks.

** As opposed to their usual roles, Jim Carrey plays TheComicallySerious while Kate Winslet plays the ManicPixieDreamGirl.

* PracticalEffects: Virtually all of the most bizarre and fascinating scenes in this movie were created with old fashioned camera, editing, lighting and prop/set tricks. The use of digital effects was very limited.
** The striking kitchen scene with Joel as a child was created with an elaborate ForcedPerspective set-up similar to some used by Creator/PeterJackson in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy.
** The rising water in the beach house was created by building a house by the beach and waiting for the tide to come in.
** Many of the "erased" book spines in the book store scene are just books turned around so that they are spine-in instead of spine-out.
** Clementine performing a TeleportSpam around Joel's apartment is actually Kate Winslet using hidden passages to get from one room to the other; that scene is done in one shot.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: While filming in downtown Manhattan, they heard that there was a circus parade going on outside. Gondry grabbed a portable camera, and got some footage of Carrey and Winslet messing around in the crowd completely anonymous due to it being night time and since the actors were wearing winter gear. The result is one of the happier memories in the movie.

** The voice whispering "Montauk" is a combination of Kate Winslet's voice and an editor working at Focus Features. The woman was asked to do a quick voice over before Kate Winslet arrived, and they left it in.

** The striking kitchen scene with Joel as a child was created with an elaborate ForcedPerspective set-up similar to some used by Peter Jackson in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy.

** The striking kitchen scene with Joel as a child was created with an elaborate ForcedPerspective set-up similar to some used by Peter Jackson in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.