Trivia / JCVD

• Awesome, Dear Boy: Aside from being eager to work with El Mechri, Van Damme was thrilled by the idea of playing a loser version of himself trapped in a bank heist.
• Harpo Does Something Funny: About 30% of the film was deliberately ad-libbed. Most of it was Van Damme's screentime, such as his his argument with the filmmakers at the beginning, his erratic talk with the taxi driver, and his final monologue, as El Mechri wanted him to show more of his inner self.
• Promoted Fanboy: Mabrouk El Mechri is a big fan of Martial Arts Movies, including those of Jean-Claude Van Damme, and got to make a film about him and starring him. Conversely, Van Damme loved Mechri's previous film Virgil and was delighted to be directed by him.
• Throw It In!: Van Damme has two sons and a daughter, Kristopher, Bianca and Nicholas, not just a daughter as portrayed in the film, but this had to be changed by legal reasons. Her fictional name, Gloria, came to El Mechri while he was listening to the epoynmous Van Morrison song.
• What Could Have Been: The initial script portrayed Van Damme as more of The Prima Donna, but El Mechri, who was brought in to review it on the basis of being a Van Damme fan, immediately vetoed it. He was subsequently deemed the best man to direct the film and was asked to take the chair.

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