Actor-Inspired Element: William H. Macy came up with the idea to have Jerry rehearse what he's going to say on the phone to Wade after his wife's kidnapping.
Awesome, Dear Boy: William H. Macy begged the directors for the role of Jerry Lundegaard. He did two readings for the part, and became convinced he was the best man for the role. When the Coens didn't get back to him, he flew to New York (where they were starting production) and said, "I'm very, very worried that you are going to screw up this movie by giving this role to somebody else. It's my role, and I'll shoot your dogs if you don't give it to me." He was joking, of course.
Cast the Runner-Up: The Coen Brothers initially considered William H. Macy for a smaller role, but they were so impressed by his reading that they asked Macy to come back in and read for the role of Jerry.
Fake Nationality: The guy who plays the presumably Japanese Mike Yanagita is Steve Park – a Korean-American.
Follow the Leader: Stolen Heart, a quirky, Coen-esque film that's also about kidnappers going after someone's grown daughter that devolves into a giant, murderous mess in the general area around Fargo, was renamed "North of Fargo".
Life Imitates Art: Mere hours after filming the scene where Carl and Gaear get pulled over by a state trooper, Peter Stormare and Steve Buscemi were actuallypulled over by a policewoman who asked for their license and registration, in the very same car used in the movie – on their way to a pancake house, no less. Steve Buscemi somehow managed to talk his way out of getting a ticket, but the two actors found the whole experience so bizarre that they suspected The Coen Brothers of staging the whole thing. (The brothers denied doing so.)
Playing Against Type: Harve Presnell (Wade) had a career before this movie playing gruff but generally kind-hearted and likeable characters. The Coens cast him because they wanted to give him a chance to play a character who was "a real sonofabitch".
Star-Making Role: Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, and William H. Macy all had notable credits before this film, but this one made them all easily recognizable stars and is arguably the signature role for each.
William H. Macy was doodling between takes, and the Coens decided to use it for a scene.
The snowplow that drives past the motel at the end of the film was not part of the script. Signs in the area warned motorists not to drive through due to filming, but a state employee ignored them.
Word of Dante: Joel Coen had Frances McDormand and John Carroll Lynch conceive a backstory for their characters to get the feel of them. They decided that Norm and Marge met while working on the police force, and when they were married, they had to choose which one had to quit. Since Marge was a better officer, Norm quit and took up painting.
Write What You Know: The scene where the couple tries to make a deal with Jerry is based on Ethan Coen's real-life encounter with a car salesman. "[It's] almost a verbatim transcript of my experience."
Write Who You Know: After seeing the movie, Frances McDormand noted that much of Marge was modeled after her sister Dorothy who is a Disciples of Christ minister and chaplain.
by a policewoman who asked for their license and registration, in the very same car used in the movie – on their way to a pancake house, no less. Steve Buscemi somehow managed to talk his way out of getting a ticket, but the two actors found the whole experience so bizarre that they suspected The Coen Brothers of staging the whole thing. (The brothers denied doing so.)