Trivia / Crimson Tide

• Actor-Inspired Element: Denzel Washington had been doing a lot of boxing before the movie. It was his idea to add the boxing montage.
• Awesome, Dear Boy: Denzel Washington took this role so he would have an opportunity to "be in there jousting with a master."
• Backed by the Pentagon: Famously averted. Tony Scott lied to the US Navy about the plot of the film to secure a technical scout of a real submarine and interviews with service personnel; when the Navy learned the film would actually be about a conflict between a missile boat's captain and XO, they refused to help any further, feeling the film would hurt the Navy's image. The newscaster had to speak from the French carrier Foch instead of the originally planned American one, and the footage of the Alabama diving was secured by following a missile boat (coincidentally, the real USS Alabama) leaving Pearl Harbor without the Navy's permission.
• Cast the Expert: Jason Robards, who plays the admiral in the inquiry scene, actually served in the Navy during World War II.
• Hostility on the Set: Not related to the production of the film itself, but still a hostile encounter that happened on set. According to a 1995 Premiere magazine article, when Quentin Tarantino visited the set, Denzel Washington confronted him about his use of the word "nigger" in his films. Tarantino got embarrassed and wanted to move the conversation to a more private area. Washington said, "No, if we're going to discuss it, let's discuss it now." In a 2012 interview with GQ, Washington said that he contacted Tarantino a few years after production and apologized for embarrassing him, asking, "You gonna walk around with that grudge the rest of your life?" He also called Tarantino "a fine artist." The same year, Washington's daughter, Katia Washington, worked as a production assistant on Django Unchained.
• Recycled Set:
  • The Submarine set built for this movie was also used in the JAG episode "Shadow".
  • The set used for the bridge of the USS Alabama was also used as the USS Georgia's bridge in Independence Day.
• Uncredited Role: Shane Black, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne were uncredited script doctors on the screenplay.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Al Pacino was originally offered the role of Captain Frank Ramsey, while Warren Beatty was interested and Tommy Lee Jones passed on it.
  • Val Kilmer was originally offered the role of Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter, but turned it down, much to his regret. Tom Cruise, Andy García and Brad Pitt were also considered.

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