Trivia / Flags of Our Fathers

• Acclaimed Flop: Praised for its story and theme, complete with a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, from a budget of 90 million USD, it only made back 65.9 million. (Letters from Iwo Jima grossed about the same amount... from a budget of only $19 million).
• California Doubling: Iceland stood in for Iwo Jima because the black sand on the beach gave it a distinct resemblance.
• Cast the Expert:
  • Actual Marines were used as extras for the scenes aboard the ship (they're the ones climbing the nets) and the training work up.
  • Sort of with Barry Pepper. As Clint Eastwood opted not to give the actors playing the soldiers a boot camp to prepare, he gave them advice based on what he'd learned preparing for Saving Private Ryan.
• Enforced Method Acting: Clint Eastwood didn't tell the actors where the explosives would go off, to get authentic reactions out of them. They were however rigged to ensure everyone's safety.
• Fake American: Barry Pepper and Adam Beach are Canadians, Jamie Bell is British and Melanie Lynskey is from New Zealand.
• Follow the Leader: Was one of a number of World War II films to be produced after the success of Saving Private Ryan. Steven Spielberg himself was a co-producer.
• Method Acting: Ryan Phillippe prepared for the role by spending time with the real John Bradley's son.
• Playing Against Type: Ryan Phillippe was transitioning out of playing bad boys in teen oriented films, and this was one of many such roles he took, along with Gosford Park, Crash and Stop-Loss.
• Real-Life Relative: Clint Eastwood's son Scott has a role as Private Roberto Lundsford.
• Typecasting: Neal McDonough played a World War II soldier in Band of Brothers, and Barry Pepper and Harve Presnell likewise in Saving Private Ryan.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Although Clint Eastwood wanted to make an adaptation as soon as the book was published in 2000, Stephen Spielberg actually bought the rights first. He wasn't satisfied with the screenplay however, and the project was shelved until 2004 when the two met at the Oscars.
  • Bradley Cooper auditioned for a role but missed out. He'd later get to work with Clint Eastwood on American Sniper.
  • Jared Leto was cast as Rene but had to drop out due to touring commitments with Thirty Seconds to Mars.