Trivia / Mask (1985)

• Billing Displacement: Richard Dysart (as Rusty's father and Rocky's grandfather) gets fourth billing in the movie, even though he only appears in one sequence.
• Creator's Favorite Episode: Cher told Charlie Rose that this is her favourite role.
• Dawson Casting: Rocky Dennis died at the age of 16, but Eric Stoltz was 24 during production.
• Hostility on the Set: Peter Bogdanovich and Cher fought bitterly on-set, as Bogdanovich found Cher difficult and inexperienced. She also had difficulty sustaining whole takes without breaking character. Bogdanovich compromised by departing from his usual deep-focus, long-take photography by shooting her in close-up to capture her natural charisma, in particular, her sad eyes.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: Peter Bogdanovich had originally intended to use several songs by Bruce Springsteen, the real Rocky Dennis' favorite singer. But due to an impasse between Universal Pictures and Springsteen's label, Columbia Records, the songs were pulled from the film and replaced with songs by Bob Seger for the original theatrical release. Bogdanovich sued Universal for $19 million, alleging the film studio switched the music without his approval in violation of his final cut privilege. The Springsteen songs were eventually restored for the 2004 director's cut DVD of the film.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Rob Lowe was nearly cast as Rocky Dennis. He declined due to scheduling conflicts with an unannounced movie that was eventually cancelled. Kevin Costner was also considered.
  • Cher wanted her then-boyfriend Val Kilmer to play Gar, but he was rejected for being too young for the part.
  • Producer Martin Starger wanted Jane Fonda to play Rusty Dennis. He and Peter Bogdanovich both agreed that they couldn't see her as a biker.

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