History Trivia / FullMetalJacket

* CastTheExpert: Creator/RLeeErmey was originally just a technician on the film, there to make a couple of films to advise the actor playing the DrillSergeantNasty on how it should be done. Then Kubrick saw his tapes... said tapes were of Ermey performing his DrillSergeantNasty speeches while being constantly pelted with rotten oranges for fifteen minutes. He never stopped, flubbed, or repeated himself throughout the whole thing. More importantly he also knew what a drill instructor ISN'T supposed to do, knowing where the line is between making a new recruit's life hell to teach them how to survive a warzone versus unproductive abuse that just wastes time and sanity of everyone involved, and crossing it anyway to make Hartman more unlikable.

* CastTheRunnerUp: Creator/RLeeErmey was originally going to be a TechnicalAdvisor, with Gunnery Sergeant Hartman being played by an actor. When the role was given to R. Lee Ermey instead, the actor who was going to play Hartman played the helicopter door gunner instead.

* NamesTheSame: '''Joker''' has no connection to [[Anime/FistOfTheNorthStar Shin's chief lackey]] or [[ComicBook/TheJoker the Clown Prince of Crime,]] or [[Franchise/MassEffect the pilot of the ''Normandy'']] or [[VideoGame/Persona5 the leader of the Phantom Thieves for that matter.]]

* HostilityOnTheSet: Matthew Modine and Vincent D'Onofrio apparently hated each other behind the scenes, nearly coming to blows at one point, which made their scenes together more tense. When filming the "blanket party" scene, Modine even complained that he would like to fight D'Onofrio but didn't want to do it while he was helpless.

* {{Defictionalization}}: Creator/RLeeErmey was given an honorary promotion from staff sergeant to gunnery sergeant in 2002, so his real-life rank would match that of Hartman.

* GenreKiller: The 80's had several Basic Training movies ranging from silly (Stripes, Private Benjamin) to semi-serious (Heartbreak Ridge, and many other forgotten movies.) Nobody bothered to make one again after this movie since it couldn't possibly be topped nor looked at in a lighthearted way again.

* CastTheRunnerUp: Creator/RLeeErmey was originally going to be a technical advisor, with Gunnery Sergeant Hartman being played by an actor. When the role was given to R. Lee Ermey instead, the actor who was going to play Hartman played the helicopter door gunner instead.

* CreatorsOddball: After ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'', this is second least Kubrickian film. Kubrick was brought in as a hired gun on the former (''Spartacus'' belongs to Creator/KirkDouglas and Kubrick does not consider it part of his filmography). But in ''Full Metal Jacket'', in which Kubrick has full control, a lot of Kubrick trademarks are missing such as long silences, long distance character shots, the use of classical music in the film score, insistence on subdued performances, and a feeling of general detachment. It may be due to the subject matter. Also, Creator/RLeeErmey undoubtedly stole the show and his "up in your face" style is very out of character for characters in Kubrick films. Also, Ermey (a real drill sergeant) was allowed to ad-lib all of his own lines, definitely unusual for control freak Kubrick.

** Tim Colceri (the door gunner) would've played Hartman, had R. Lee Ermey not been singled out by Kubrick after seeing his handiwork.