Trivia / Calendar Girls

• Awesome, Dear Boy: Helen Mirren initially had no interest in doing the film, fearing it would just be "a poor man's version of The Full Monty", but changed her mind once Julie Walters signed on.
• Creator-Chosen Casting: Julie Walters was the first and only choice for the role of Annie.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Celia Imrie recalls the entire cast doing a few extra hours in the gym to prepare for the nude scenes.
• Enforced Method Acting: The actresses opened a bottle of champagne before shooting the nude scenes to put them in the proper mood for it. Nigel Cole likewise offered to strip off and direct in the nude in solidarity, though the actresses declined.
• Playing Against Type: Julie Walters was best known for comedy and lighter roles at the time, and indeed thought Nigel Cole had offered her the wrong part at first when he asked her to play the more sensitive and quieter Annie.
• Reality Subtext: Helen Mirren's mother was dying of cancer during filming, and she actually passed away right before filming the funeral scenes, so her tears of grief were very real.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Victoria Wood had been hoping to make her own version after meeting the real-life women, but Disney got the rights first.
  • A Working Title was Jam and Jerusalem for a while, although Calendar Girls had been the original title from the beginning.
  • Anne Reid was offered a role but turned it down to do Roger Mitchell's The Mother instead.
  • Nigel Cole recalls many name actors turning the male parts down, not wanting to play supporting characters to the middle-aged women.

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