Trivia / Big

• Defictionalization: That computer game Josh plays? Someone went ahead and made it for real.
• Deleted Role: Frances Fisher was cast as Billy's mother but all of her scenes were deleted. Her scenes were reintroduced on the Extended Edition DVD.
• Duelling Works: Some critics were skeptical of the film upon its release, due to the fact that three other movies had come out the same year involving a kid in the body of an adult or some variation thereof: Like Father Like Son (1987) starring Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron, 18 Again! (1988) starring George Burns, and Vice Versa, starring Judge Reinhold. However, Big explored the pathos of being a young boy out in the world by himself and the contrast of Josh's innocence versus the adult business setting in a deeper, more thoughtful way than the other movies, which combined with Tom Hanks's performance won audiences over to a much greater degree than the other three films, all of which are largely forgotten today.
• The Other Marty: Invoked during filming. Reportedly, Penny Marshall had David Moscow perform scenes of the grown-up Josh to help Tom Hanks get a handle on a how a kid would behave in an adult setting.
• The Red Stapler: Since its first release, many people have stopped by the FAO Schwartz on Fifth Avenue to play the floor keyboard. The demand for smaller floor pianos such as "Foot Notes" also dramatically rose in the months following Big's release, especially during the Christmas season after it came out.
• Referenced by...:
  • In the music video for the song "Play That Song" (which uses the tune of "Heart and Soul") by Train, there is a scene where lead singer Pat Monahan dances on a Walking Piano.
  • There is a scene in SHAZAM! (2019) where Billy inadvertently plays a few notes on a Walking Piano after escaping from Sivana.
• Technology Marches On:
  • The thriving toy industry is primarily concerned with action figures and various physically interactive toys. This is before video gaming put a serious damper on the interest in physical toys. Josh is considered fairly unusual for being a computer gamer, and he's seen as progressive in the toy industry for having an idea for a toy using software.
  • Josh's pitch for choose-your-own-adventure comic books is just a dated way of looking at a portable video game console. He's basically pitching a Game Boy that only plays Interactive Fiction games.
  • Josh's familiarity with computers turns out to be a rare and surprisingly marketable skill. His data-entry co-workers, who are all in their 20s and 30s, don't have a computer background and can't keep up with him. These days, basic computer literacy is expected for any office job.
• Throw It In!:
  • The "Big rap" sung by Josh and Billy is one Tom Hanks' son had learned while at summer camp.
  • The scene where Josh and Billy shoot Silly String at each other was derived from Hanks, Rushton, and Moscow being left in a room filled with toys.
  • At the fancy party with baby ears of corn, Josh's eating the tiny ear as one would a normal one was put in by Hanks.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Warren Beatty^note  His asking price was too high, Jeff Bridges, Albert Brooks^note  He turned it down, as he didn't want to play a kid at the time, Gary Busey, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Steve Guttenberg^note He was busy with Three Men and a Baby, Michael Keaton, Bill Murray^note He did Scrooged instead, Dennis Quaid^note  He turned it down in favour of Everybody's All-American, Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, John Travolta^note He auditioned, but was deemed box-office poison, Robin Williams, and John Goodman were all considered for the role of adult Josh.
  • Debra Winger was originally cast as Susan, but dropped out when she became pregnant.
  • John Lithgow was considered to play Paul.
  • Steven Spielberg considered directing the film (his sister co-wrote it, after all) but declined as his son had been born and felt he should be closer to him. John Landis was offered the job, but he did Coming to America instead. Ron Howard and Sydney Pollack also turned down the directorial job.
  • In the revised script, Susan wore no bra in the love scene between Josh and Susan.
  • In the revised script, Paul was named Brad.

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