Trivia / Once Upon a Time in Mexico

• Acting for Two: Johnny Depp shot all of his scenes in 8 days, but after his filming was done he didn't want to leave. So he suggested to Robert Rodriguez that he play a small part, the priest that Antonio Banderas talks to in the church, and use his Marlon Brando impression.
• Actor-Inspired Element: Johnny Depp came up with Sands' first and last names. It was also his idea to wear tacky t-shirts.
• Actor Leaves, Character Dies: Carolina is said to have died in-between films and only appears in flashbacks, as Salma Hayek was busy starring in Frida.
• Billing Displacement: A retroactive example; trailers for the DVD re-release mention Johnny Depp first, then Salma Hayek, and don't mention Antonio Banderas at all.
• The Cast Showoff: According to the liner notes in the soundtrack CD, Johnny Depp wrote his own theme music (track nine on the CD). Rubén Blades supplied a bass line for his character, and Antonio Banderas embellished on the previous Desperado theme.
• Fake Nationality: Antonio Banderas is Spanish, not Mexican. And Willem Dafoe is...really, definitely not Mexican, but this was lampshaded in the commentary slightly when Robert Rodriguez explains that he was purposefully playing it over-the-top with his choice of casting - "It's not that type of film."
• Refitted for Sequel: There are several scenes that were leftover from El Mariachi and Desperado. The hotel escape was originally intended for the latter, and the escape from the compound (while guarded in a jail cell) was included in the original script for the former.
• Separated-at-Birth Casting: The man Barillo hires as a body double was an assistant. There were no digital effects. The man looked as identical to Willem Dafoe as he did in the movie.
• The Shelf of Movie Languishment: The film was finished in 2001 but the release was pushed back to 2003.
• Throw It In!:
  • Johnny Depp improvised many lines where he was originally intended to swear.
  • The scene where Fideo shoots the soldier, and causes him to fall over the railing, was improvised.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The role of Sands was originally intended for George Clooney. When he was unavailable, Robert Rodriguez considered Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn, Kurt Russell and Bruce Willis before deciding on Johnny Depp.
  • The role of Cucuy was written for Quentin Tarantino who ended up having to drop out due to the filming of Kill Bill.
• You Look Familiar:
  • Danny Trejo played a Colombian hitman that was accidentally killed by Bucho's men in Desperado.
  • Cheech Marin also played a character that was killed at the beginning of the second movie and comes back here. It's confusing since he knows about the Mariachi's legends and sports an eye patch (the other character was shot in the head) but it is indeed a different character. Word of God states that he was originally supposed to be the same guy since Robert forgot he was killed and had to be reminded prior to filming.
  • The cab driver who kicks Sands out of his car is played by Tito Larriva, who appeared in Desperado as Tavo, the bearded thug in the Terasco Bar who has several conversations with Marin, kills Quentin Tarantino, chases El down the sidewalk, and gets his head blown off for his trouble.

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