* AllStarCast: Creator/NicoleKidman, Creator/JudeLaw, Creator/ReneeZellweger, Creator/PhilipSeymourHoffman, Creator/NataliePortman, Creator/DonaldSutherland, Creator/RayWinstone and Creator/BrendanGleeson.
* CaliforniaDoubling: The film was mostly shot in UsefulNotes/{{Romania}}, as the real South has too many paved roads and telephone wires.
* CastTheRunnerUp: Creator/NataliePortman originally auditioned for the part of Ada before being cast as Sara.
* TheCastShowoff:
** Creator/BrendanGleeson is an accomplished violin player and did all of his own playing in this movie.
** Creator/NicoleKidman did all of her own piano playing.
* DeletedScene:
** A deleted scene shows Inman staying with Sara for some time after the encounter with the Union soldiers, but Sara's baby dies and Sara commits suicide.
** Another deleted scene shows Inman reaching Ada's farm but finding her and Ruby gone to bury [[spoiler: Stobrod and Pangle]], with Georgia informing him where to find them.
* DyeingForYourArt:
** Creator/JudeLaw had to gain ten kilograms (twenty-two pounds) of muscle for his role on-location in Romania. As there wasn't any regular fitness equipment around, he did so by carrying his personal trainer around on his back, dragging logs, and pushing a tennis-court roller.
** Creator/NicoleKidman was asked to lose as much weight as possible. She went on the hard-boiled egg diet, which entailed having one egg for breakfast and two to three for dinner. This type of diet is not advisable in the long run, as it is unbalanced, unhealthful, and does not provide one with enough calories. In the end, she ended up losing more weight than she originally desired.
* ExtremelyLengthyCreation: Creator/AnthonyMinghella spent five years on this movie. Almost one year was used for editing.
* FakeAmerican: Virtually the whole cast for the Southern characters in the movie. Creator/NicoleKidman is Australian, Creator/RayWinstone, Creator/JudeLaw, Eileen Atkins and Creator/CharlieHunnam are British, Creator/BrendanGleeson, Creator/CillianMurphy is Irish and Creator/DonaldSutherland is Canadian. Creator/ReneeZellweger is the only main cast member who is actually from the American South as she was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants in Texas. Creator/NataliePortman is a zigzagged example as she is Israeli-born but her mom's American and she and her family later moved to the States.
* ProductionPosse: Creator/PhilipSeymourHoffman, Creator/JudeLaw and Creator/JamesRebhorn all appeared in Creator/AnthonyMinghella's previous film, ''Film/TheTalentedMrRipley''.
* RomanceOnTheSet: Jack White and Creator/ReneeZellweger started dating while the film was in production.
* SparedByTheCut: In a DeletedScene, Sara's baby dies of exposure to the cold and then she shoots herself, but the two seem to live in the final film.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Creator/TomCruise was going to star as Inman, but backed out when he learned of his ex-wife Creator/NicoleKidman's involvement. Creator/EricBana, Creator/MattDamon, Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio, Creator/TomHanks, Creator/JoshHartnett, Creator/DanielDayLewis and Creator/BradPitt were also considered.
** Creator/CateBlanchett and Creator/JuliaRoberts were considered for Ada.
** Creator/RachelWeisz was considered for the role of Ruby Thewes.
** Music/FaithHill auditioned for the part of Sara.
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