Trivia / Freedom Writers

• Approval of God: The real Erin Grewell was ecstatic when she heard Hilary Swank would be playing her.
• …But I Play One on TV: April Hernandez had to remind people when she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey show that her speech about hating white people was the attitude of her character Eva, not her own views.
• Cast the Expert: For the hotel trip scene, the Holocaust survivors were played by genuine survivors.
• Dawson Casting: Most of the actors playing the teens were in their twenties.
• Doing It for the Art: Hilary Swank took a significant pay cut to do the film, being that passionate about the story of Erin Grewell.
• Fake American: Imelda Staunton is British playing the American teacher Margaret Campbell.
• Fake Nationality: The American actress Pat Carroll plays the Dutch Miep Gies.
• In Memoriam: The film is dedicated to Armand Jones - who starred as Grant Rice but was killed after the film wrapped.
• Typecasting:
  • Imelda Staunton as an obstructive Stern Teacher is recycling her casting as Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the same year.
  • Hilary Swank as The Determinator is also pretty standard.

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