Trivia / Hail, Caesar!

• All-Star Cast: The film stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Clancy Brown, Dolph Lundgren (in silhouette), and Jonah Hill.
  • In the scene in the cab from Merrily We Dance, Hobie's co-stars are played by Jack Huston and actress/supermodel Agyness Deyn.
• Billing Displacement: Heather Goldenhersh plays Eddie Mannix's secretary Natalie, who gets more screen time than almost any other actor, whereas some of the more well-known actors are barely in the movie at all (Jonah Hill and Frances McDormand are only in one scene apiece; Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson each get two). But because they're big-name actors and she's not, they're mentioned by name both in the trailer and on the poster/DVD cover, whereas she's nowhere to be seen.
• The Cast Showoff: Channing Tatum spends the majority of his screen time showing off his dancing skills in the "No Dames" number.
• Deleted Role: Dolph Lundgren's role was almost entirely deleted for time reasons, and in the final film he only appears as a silent silhouette.
• Divorced Installment: At some point, the film was a more direct sequel to Barton Fink, alluding to ex-studio chief Jack Lipnick and having Fink among the Communist screenwriters, with a Role Reprise by John Turturro.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Channing Tatum bleached his hair blond. Thanks to a couple of release delays, this marks the third film in a row he's appeared blond in after Foxcatcher and Jupiter Ascending.
• Dueling Movies: With Trumbo, which is a true story set during the Hollywood blacklist in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
• Fake American: Sort of. British Tilda Swinton gives Thora a hint of an American accent. Thessaly, however, speaks completely with British pronunciations.
• Hey, It's That Place!: Mannix is courted by Lockheed in the same Japanese restaurant that shows up repeatedly on Mad Men.
• Non-Singing Voice: Hobie Doyle's singing voice is provided by folk singer Willie Watson.
• Playing Their Own Twin: Tilda Swinton portrays identical sisters Thora and Thessaly Thacker (who both despise being referred to as "gossip columnists"). The only person able to tell them apart with some clarity is Eddie Mannix.
• Star-Making Role: Alden Ehrenreich's performance as Hobie Doyle was generally cited as one of the film's highlights, and soon after he was cast by Disney as a young Han Solo.
• What Could Have Been: John Milius was approached for a role as one of the Communist screenwriters (in a bit of a Casting Gag considering the filmmaker's real-life right-leaning anarchist views) but turned it down due to medical treatment he was receiving at the time that would have interfered with the filming schedule. This would be the third time that Milius was approached for a role in a Coen brothers movie that he ultimately turned down (Lipnick in Barton Fink, Sobchak—a character inspired by Milius—in the The Big Lebowski). Appropriately, one of the screenwriters is clearly based on Milius' appearance.

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