Trivia / Last Orders

• Ability over Appearance: Only some of the younger actors look like their older counterparts. Word of God states that the filmmakers decided they would rather find young actors with similar skill and magnetism to the older ones, rather than find people who look just like them. Fred Schepisi even said on the director's commentary that Helen Mirren told him not to worry about finding a younger actress that looks like her. Kelly Reilly◊, who doesn't look anything like Helen Mirren◊, was cast as young Amy.
• Awesome, Dear Boy:
  • Fred Schepisi says on the director's commentary that the reason that so many A-List actors were motivated to appear in such a small film is because they were all from similar backgrounds to their characters. (Michael Caine was even born in Bermondsey, where much of the original book is set.)
  • According to Schepisi, they were also excited by the fact that the film's Cockney characters were not portrayed as either gangsters or comic relief figures.