Trivia / Boyhood

• Actor-Inspired Element: Rather a lot about the characters was inspired by their actors' experiences. Mason Sr is a Texan insurance agent that divorced and remarried, like Ethan Hawke's father (and Linklater's father too). Olivia resumes her education late in life and becomes a psychotherapist, like Patricia Arquette's mother. Additionally Olivia is the name of Arquette's mother in real life.
• Doing It for the Art:
  • Legally none of the actors had to return each year for the project, according to De Havilland Law - which makes it illegal to contract employees for more than seven years of work.
  • Ditto to IFC Films, who gave Linklater the money piecemeal, with only one year where they forgot to give him money and it was too late due to their books closing. That year was covered by Linklater using insurance money from his house burning down.
• Defictionalization: The Black Album, a compilation mixtape of post-breakup The Beatles songs given to Mason Jr. by Mason Sr. as a birthday gift, actually did exist in real life; Ethan Hawke made the mixtape for his daughter Maya's birthday following his divorce to Uma Thurman. Following the success of Boyhood, the compilation would later be officially released on digital streaming services.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Ellar Coltrane had his head shaved on screen for Mason's Traumatic Haircut. It was the opposite in real life for him; he had hated growing his hair long and was overjoyed to have it cut.
• Extremely Lengthy Creation: Filmed over the course of twelve years (although only a few days each year). Richard Linklater made contingencies in the event he died mid-production by telling Ethan Hawke how he planned for the story to unfold so that Hawke could finish the project if he couldn't.
• Life Imitates Art: Over the course of this movie's production, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette experienced divorces, remarriages and having other children like their characters do.
• Real-Life Relative: Samantha, Mason's sister in the film, is played by director Richard Linklater's real-life daughter Lorelai. Additionally, Richard's twin daughters cameo as Mason and Samantha's cousins.
• Reality Subtext: Mason Sr gives his son the gift of the Black Album on his birthday. In real life this was something Ethan Hawke had done for his daughter to help her cope with the break-up of his marriage with Uma Thurman.
• Shrug of God: As to whether or not the Nicole who compliments Mason's haircut in elementary school and the Nicole he meets in college are the same girl.
• Sleeper Hit: A 166 minute film with no big stars (though Ethan Hawke was certainly a name, and Patricia Arquette a TV star. Also Brad Hawkins was mostly known for VR Troopers in the mid 90's and nothing else) and a 12-year production span would have seemed like a hard sell but the film has grossed $27 million to date (on just a $2.4 million budget) and became IFC Film's highest grossing film since My Big Fat Greek Wedding in the process.
• Throw It In!. The film has some improvisation. Also Samantha's hair being red at one point was due to Lorelei having dyed her hair red at some point prior to filming the sequence. Her father decided to just keep it rather than use a wig or dye it back to her natural color. The conversation between Mason and his father about the possibility of new Star Wars films is entirely improvised too.
• What Could Have Been: At one point, Lorelei Linklater suggested the idea that Samantha die in the middle of the film due to having lost interest in the project. Her father eventually talked her out of it but it would have created a much different second half had the idea become part of the film. This is a bit ironic as she had to beg her father for the role when she heard about it.
• Word of God: Olivia and Jim never got married, according to the director. They merely move in together and a wedding is never seen nor referenced. Additionally during their scenes, neither wears a wedding ring. This is confirmed by Olivia saying she's had two divorces, not three.
• Working Title: The film's original title was 'Boyhood' but Linklater toyed with the idea of renaming it 'Twelve Years'. That had to be scrapped when the film 12 Years a Slave came out.
• Writing by the Seat of Your Pants: Linklater noted that the script for some scenes was finished the night before they were to be filmed.

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