Trivia / Hannah and Her Sisters

• All-Star Cast: Just look at the film poster.
• Cast the Runner-Up:
  • Woody Allen gave Mia Farrow the choice of playing Hannah, Lee or Holly. She chose Hannah, the character based on herself.
  • Allen considered playing either Elliot or Frederick before deciding to play Mickey Sachs.
• Colbert Bump: If you're not Canadian, this film introduced you to "Slip Into the Crowd" by The 39 Steps.
• Creator Backlash: Allen considered the happy ending a failure and unrealistic.
• Executive Meddling: The original film as shot had a dark Downer Ending. The studio forced Allen to reshoot the film, and thankfully, the new version proved to be a smashing success.
• Inspiration for the Work: The film was originally about a man who fell in love with his wife's sister. Then Woody Allen re-read Anna Karenina "and I thought, it's interesting how this guy gets the various stories going, cutting from one story to another. I loved the idea of experimenting with that."
• Missing Trailer Scene: A quick clip of April and David chatting at an art museum in the trailer is missing in the film itself.
• Real-Life Relative:
  • Maureen O'Sullivan and Mia Farrow play mother and daughter, which they are in Real Life.
  • Four of Mia Farrow's real children appear in the film as Hannah's kids.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Dustin Hoffman was considered for Mickey Sachs.
  • Kim Basinger accepted the role of Hannah, but dropped out to star in 9½ Weeks. Jennifer Jason Leigh was considered, but Woody Allen wanted a more experienced actress. Jessica Lange and Annie Potts were also considered.
  • According to a 2014 podcast, Allen revealed that Jack Nicholson was the first choice for the role of Elliot. He was interested in the role, but it conflicted with filming Prizzi's Honor.
  • Brooke Shields was considered for the role of April. She turned it down because she was attending Princeton.
• Write Who You Know: Woody Allen admits that the role of Hannah was based on Mia Farrow being "a romanticized perception of Mia. She's very stable, she has eight children now, and she's able to run her career, and have good relationships with her sister and her mother. I'm very impressed with those qualities, and I thought if she had two unstable sisters, it would be interesting."

---