Trivia / JFK

• Ability over Appearance: Kevin Costner is 6' 1", six inches shorter than the real Jim Garrison.
• All-Star Cast: Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Ed Asner, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Gary Oldman, Laurie Metcalf, Jay O'Sanders, John Candy, Kevin Bacon, John Larroquette,^note Deleted Scene restored for the Special Edition Martin Sheen, and others.
  • This leads to the odd casting of The Odd Couple without either actor ever interacting with each other.
• Cast the Runner-Up:
  • Tommy Lee Jones was originally considered for another role that was ultimately cut from the film and Stone then decided to cast him as Shaw.
  • Gary Oldman was considered for David Ferrie.
  • Frank Whaley was originally cast as Lee Harvey Oswald but was replaced by Gary Oldman. As a consolation, Oliver Stone cast Whaley in the role of the Oswald imposter.

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• The Danza: Jack Martin is played by Jack Lemmon.
• Doing It for the Art:
  • Oliver Stone poured his heart and soul into this movie, going out of his way to make sure everything appeared exactly as he wanted it. A great example is his meticulously detailed set of the White House's Oval Office, which cost about $70,000 to complete, yet it only appears in about eight seconds of the film.
  • The movie was shot largely on location, including Dealey Plaza in Dallas and the actual book depository where Lee Harvey Oswald (allegedly) shot Kennedy.
  • Many actors waived their usual fees to appear in the film.
• Duelling Movies: While JFK was in pre-production, A&M Films announced an adaptation of Don DeLillo's Libra, a 1988 novel about the assassination with many broad similarities to Stone's film, to be directed by Phil Joanou. A script for Libra was written and Jandou began casting key roles, but the project was suddenly abandoned in late 1990, with rumors that Oliver Stone, Warner Bros. or both strong-armed Joanou into abandoning Libra (something Stone has always denied).
• Enforced Method Acting:

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  • Garrison begins crying during his closing statement at Shaw's trial. This was because Kevin Costner realized the weight of his character's words, and had an instant emotional response.
  • John Candy was genuinely nervous about doing a dramatic role with so many big stars.
• Playing Against Type: One of the few dramatic roles played by John Candy, as a beatnik lawyer connected to the conspiracy. The nervous sweat you see on his face is real, as the thought of acting in a dramatic film opposite such heavyweight actors as Donald Sutherland and Gary Oldman scared Candy shitless.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson were Oliver Stone's first choices for the role of Jim Garrison. Also considered were Alec Baldwin, Tom Berenger, Jeff Bridges,^note He was turned down because he wasn't a box office draw Willem Dafoe, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Gene Hackman, William Hurt, Don Johnson,^note He tried hard to get the part of Jim Garrison. He was turned down, as Stone and the producers felt the actor's own public image would make him a hard sell as Garrison. Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Keaton, John Malkovich, Matthew Modine, Jack Nicholson, Nick Nolte,^note He was deemed too old Dennis Quaid, Robert Redford, and Robin Williams.

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  • James Woods eagerly lobbied for the role of Garrison. However he and Stone had vast creative differences, Woods wanting the film to be more of a biography of Jim Garrison with much more emphasis on his personal life, while Stone wanted it to be primarily about the case.
  • Marlon Brando turned down the role of X.
  • Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Martin Landau, Malkovich and Gary Oldman were considered for David Ferrie.
  • Douglas, Landau, Robert Loggia, Paul Newman, Peter O'Toole, Gregory Peck and Roy Scheider were considered for the role of Clay Shaw.
  • Glenn Ford and Hackman were considered for Guy Bannister.
  • Matt Dillon, Quaid, Tom Sizemore and James Spader were considered for Willie O'Keefe.
  • Baldwin, Tom Cruise and Charlie Sheen were considered for Lee Harvey Oswald.
  • Danny DeVito and John Goodman were considered for Dean Andrews.
  • Harry Dean Stanton was considered for Jack Martin.
  • Goldie Hawn, Elizabeth McGovern and Cybill Shepherd were considered for Julia Ann Mercer.
  • Danny Aiello was considered for Jack Ruby.

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