Trivia / Alfie

Trivia for the 1966 British film:

• Actor-Inspired Element: Michael Caine recommended Vivien Merchant for the role of Lily.
• Billing Displacement: Second billed Shelley Winters (who plays Ruby) only has three scenes.
• Dawson Casting: Harry is said to be 35 years old. Alfie Bass was actually 55.
• Looping Lines: A great deal of Michael Caine's lines had to be dubbed for the American release due to fears that they wouldn't understand his London accent. He claimed that Shelley Winters couldn't understand him, so she watched his mouth movements.
• Pop-Culture Urban Legends: There's an unproven rumour among British jazz enthusiasts that the saxophone solo played on the theme, credited to Sonny Rollins, was actually performed by jazz legend Tubby Haynes.
• Referenced by...: A character in the Endeavour episode "Sway" (which is set in 1966, the year Alfie was released) heavily and knowingly models himself on the title character.
• Uncredited Role: Harry Locke as a foreman.
• Star-Making Role: Was this for lead Michael Caine, to the point that even John Wayne thought so.
  Michael: And he (John Wayne) was registering in the Beverly Hills Hotel, and he looked up and he saw me in the corner. And he said to me "What's your name, kid?" I said "Michael Caine". He said "You in that movie Alfie?" I said "Yeah". He said "I saw that." He said "You're gonna be a star, kid." I said, "Oh, thank you sir."
• What Could Have Been: Among those who turned down the role of Alfie were Richard Harris, Laurence Harvey and Terence Stamp, who starred in a Broadway version of the play.

Trivia for the 2004 remake:

• Actor-Inspired Element: Alfie's Vespa is painted blue and white because those are the colours of Tottenham Hotspur, Jude Law's favourite team.
• Box Office Bomb: Budget, $60 million. Box office, $35,150,546.
• Creator Backlash: Jude Law would go on to say that he was disappointed how his role in this remake turned out, although he added that he doesn't regret doing it and it was one of the best experiences he had working on a film.
• Creator Killer: Director Charles Shyer wouldn't make another film for eight years.
• Fake American: Although born in New York, Sienna Miller was raised in the UK and thus puts on an American accent to play Nikki.
• Romance on the Set: Jude Law and Sienna Miller became engaged shortly after filming, but it ended infamously with infidelity on his part with their children's nanny.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Ewan McGregor was considered for Alfie.
  • Tina Fey turned down the role of Dorie, which then went to Jane Krakowski.
  • Billie Piper auditioned for Nikki before Sienna Miller was cast.

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