Trivia / A History of Violence

• Canada Doubling: The (fictional) town of Milbrook, Indiana is played by the very-real town of Milbrook, Ontario.
• Dawson Casting: Ashton Holmes, who played the teenage son, was 27 on this movie's release date.
• Deleted Scene: A deleted scene known as "Scene 44" features a dream sequence in the diner where Fogarty tells Tom he will kill him and his family, to which Tom responds by shooting him with his shotgun at close range. He then approaches Fogarty's mangled body, as Fogarty looks back up at Tom and laughs evilly, then raises a gun and shoots him.
• Enforced Method Acting: Viggo Mortensen stated that during the shooting of the first bar scene with Ed Harris he couldn't stop laughing, and as a result, the scene had to be re-shot several times. Due to Mortensen's behavior, Harris completed the scene without pants. He only wore his underwear, yet this cannot be seen as the bar table impedes our view. Thus, Mortensen had to act seriously while Ed Harris was not wearing any pants, and this is the scene that is used in the movie.
• Fake American: Peter MacNeill (Sheriff Sam), Stephen McHattie (Leland), Greg Bryk (Billy), Kyle Schmid (Bobby), and Charlie (Aidan Devine) are all Canadians.
• Referenced by...: In Max Payne 3, Officer DaSilva notes to Max Payne himself that he was selected by the Broncos partly because he is a man with A History of Violence. Max Payne 3 chronologically tells the story of how Max tried to get away from his violent life, only to get drawn back in after he shoots dead, the son of a New Jersey Mafia Don, for his aggression against a woman who stands up to him. Like the diner scene in the film, it starts with a confrontation in a pub diner that turns lethal and brings Max Payne major trouble with the New Jersey Mafia.
• Shout-Out:
  • Leland Jones and Billy Orser are named after actor Leland Orser.
  • In the comic, Joey Muni is named for the original Scarface, Paul Muni.
• Throw It In!: During the robbery scene at the diner, Orser crudely rubbing his hand down Charlotte's breast and then sniffing his hand, was thought up by the two actors themselves.
• What Could Have Been: Harrison Ford and Thomas Jane turned down the role of Tom Stall.
• Word of Saint Paul: Stephen McHattie and Greg Bryk came up with their own backstory about why the killers were travelling together. According to them the older man was the younger man's uncle and was taking him across country after the younger man had been released from prison.