History Trivia / TheRulesOfAttraction

* RetroactiveRecognition: Neither Creator/JessicaBiel nor Creator/KateBosworth were stars at the time the film came out.

* WriteWhatYouKnow: For the screenplay, Victor's voice-overs about Europe were based on several journals kept by Creator/RogerAvary during his own European travels after college. They had to be rewritten to match the footage spontaneously shot with Kip Pardue.

-->I thought it was the only one that captured the sensibility of the novel in a cinematic way. I know I'm sounding like a film critic on that, but I'm talking about that in an emotional way - as the writer of the novel. I watched that movie and thought they got it in a way that Mary Harron didn't and ''Film/LessThanZero'' didn't.

** Creator/JamesFranco was the original choice to play Sean Bateman. Avary later decided that he played it "too much like the book," and recast the role with Creator/JamesVanDerBeeek.

* DeletedRole: Creator/CasperVanDien shot two scenes on the phone to Creator/JamesVanDerBeek as [[Literature/AmericanPsycho Patrick Bateman]]. They were edited out due to content and film time. The footage featuring Van Dien as Patrick was eventually made publicly available in 2018, when director Roger Avary [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEZLtgiAJVI uploaded it]] to Website/YouTube.

* EnforcedMethodActing: According to a reporter from Ain't It Cool News, Roger Avary got a reaction out of Creator/ShannynSossamon by having Creator/JessicaBiel flash her off-camera.

* PlayingAgainstType: Everyone in the movie except Ian Somerhalder, simply because he didn't have a type yet. Best example is Fred Savage, who turns up for one scene as an almost-naked clarinet-playing heroin addict. Special prize goes to James Van Der Beek, who was mostly known as all-the-positive [[Series/DawsonsCreek Dawson Leery]] at the time of the movie's release.

** According to director Roger Avary and actor Kip Purdue, the pair shot so much footage for the sequence where Purdue's character (Victor) travels around Europe that they actually cut it into a 90-minute film called ''Glitterati'', which was intended to be an {{Interquel}} before the release of a proposed sequel film (and another Ellis book adaptation) called ''Literature/{{Glamorama}}''. Due to lower-than-expected returns for ''Attraction'', the sequel never got off the ground, although a TV adaptation of ''Attraction'' was later claimed to be in development by Ellis.
** Creator/JamesFranco was the original choice to play Sean Bateman. Roger Avary later decided that he played it "too much like the book," and recast the role with James Van Der Beeek.

** Roger Avary told Ain't It Cool News that he considered having Clay and Blaire from ''Literature/LessThanZero'' make an appearance:

* WriteWhatYouKnow: For the screenplay, Victor's voice-overs about Europe were based on several journals kept by Roger Avary during his own European travels after college. They had to be rewritten to match the footage spontaneously shot with Kip Pardue.

** Ellis stated the studio had wanted to include a {{serial killer}} plot line in the film, but after the filmmakers turned down the idea it was repurposed into ''Film/AmericanPsychoIIAllAmericanGirl''.

* ReferencedBy: ''Podcast/{{Disgraceland}}'' adapted the “Victor takes a trip” sequence to describe the exploits of Music/BrianJones.

* DeletedRole: Casper Van Dien shot two scenes on the phone to James Van Der Beek as [[Literature/AmericanPsycho Patrick Bateman]]. They were edited out due to content and film time. The footage featuring Van Dien as Patrick was eventually made publicly available in 2018, when director Roger Avary [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEZLtgiAJVI uploaded it]] to [=YouTube=].

* TheOtherDarrin: Creator/ChristianBale declined to return as [[Film/AmericanPsycho Patrick Bateman]], so Casper Van Dien replaced him for a cameo that ended up on the cutting room floor.

* DeletedRole: Casper Van Dien shot two scenes on the phone to James Van Der Beek as [[Literature/AmericanPsycho Patrick Bateman]]. They were edited out due to content and film time.

* DVDCommentary: The film features an unusual example of this. In addition to three commentary tracks created by several of the cast members (who had their remarks spliced together), the DVD also features a "surprise guest" commentary -- Comedy/CarrotTop, who admits that he hasn't seen the movie before and is only doing a track for it because the filmmakers had no budget left for extras. His shock when the film quickly cuts into a rape scene in the opening, and his subsequent attempts to lighten the otherwise dour mood in the film, is often seen as the most unintentionally funny part of the whole DVD.

* DVDCommentary: The film features an unusual example of this. In addition to three commentary tracks created by several of the cast members (who had their remarks spliced together), the DVD also features a "surprise guest" commentary -- Creator/CarrotTop, who admits that he hasn't seen the movie before and is only doing a track for it because the filmmakers had no budget left for extras. His shock when the film quickly cuts into a rape scene in the opening, and his subsequent attempts to lighten the otherwise dour mood in the film, is often seen as the most unintentionally funny part of the whole DVD.

** Creator/WillWheaton was very interested in acting in this movie and was even promised a role in it by Roger Avary, but eventually he was dropped from the casting list.

* CreatorPrefferedApatation: Creator/BretEastonEllis named this as his favourite adaptation of any of his books:

* CreatorPreferredApatation: Creator/BretEastonEllis named this as his favourite adaptation of any of his books:

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: According to director Roger Avary and actor Kip Purdue, the pair shot so much footage for the sequence where Purdue's character (Victor) travels around Europe that they actually cut it into a 90-minute film called ''Glitterati'', which was intended to be an {{Interquel}} before the release of a proposed sequel film (and another Ellis book adaptation) called ''Literature/{{Glamorama}}''. Due to lower-than-expected returns for ''Attraction'', the sequel never got off the ground, although a TV adaptation of ''Attraction'' was later claimed to be in development by Ellis.

* ThrowItIn: The Music/GeorgeMichael dancing scene (involving Paul and Dick) was done in the hotel the pair were staying in; apparently, after doing it for fun, it was decided it was too good to leave out of the movie.

* ThrowItIn: The George Michael dancing scene (involving Paul and Dick) was done in the hotel the pair were staying in; apparently, after doing it for fun, it was decided it was too good to leave out of the movie.