Trivia / Play Misty for Me

• Actor-Inspired Element: Jessica Walter was Eastwood's first choice to play Evelyn (after seeing her in Sidney Lumet's The Group), and he actually never even auditioned anyone else for the role. Once she was cast, Walter had lots of discussions with Eastwood in which she shaped Evelyn's portrayal, and she also researched the psychological issues of the character.
• Directed by Cast Member: This was Clint Eastwood's directorial debut.
• He Also Did: The rockin' Instrumental that plays over the opening credits is "Dirty Boogie" by Gator Creek, a band that included a young Kenny Loggins on guitar.
• No Budget: Thanks to meticulous planning by Eastwood, including the decision to film on location in Carmel and Monterey, allowing him to use settings he was familiar with, like friends' houses, the film actually came in under budget and ahead of schedule, ultimately costing less than a million dollars.
• Playing Against Type:
  • Yes, Clint Eastwood — The Man with No Name from the Dollars Trilogy, not to mention Dirty Harry himself — playing an emotionally vulnerable victim; not something you'll ever see again.
  • For younger viewers used to seeing Jessica Walter do comedy as Lucille Bluth, watching her play a serious, disturbed Stalker with a Crush can come across this way too, though the familiar cruel edge associated with her comedic roles is very much on display here.
• Production Posse: Clint Eastwood surrounded himself with a lot of familiar faces to help ease into directing. Most notable was his frequent director Don Siegel, who was hired to play Murphy the bartender, but was also there as an unofficial directorial adviser. Character actors John Larch, Jack Ging and James McEachin, composer Dee Barton, cinematographer Bruce Surtees and editor Carl Pingitore all worked on mulltiple projects with Eastwood.
• Revival by Commercialization: One of the most successful examples. Roberta Flack's Cover Version of the Ewan MacColl folk song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" got re-released after being used for Dave and Tobie's romantic interlude, and became a #1 hit that also revived Flack's career.
• Sleeper Hit: Any skepticism about a big star's first directorial effort was quickly dispelled by good reviews and strong word-of-mouth, and the film made back over ten times its budget.
• What Could Have Been: Steve McQueen turned down the lead role, claiming that the female lead was stronger than the male. Whether he was right or not, it certainly didn't affect Eastwood's perception as an action hero.
• Write Who You Know: Jo Heims, who concocted the story and wrote the first draft of the screenplay, based Evelyn on a friend of hers who had Stalker with a Crush tendencies with men (though in a much more innocuous way than Evelyn).

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