Trivia / Sunshine Cleaning

• Actor-Inspired Heroism:
  • The original script had Norah as much less sympathetic than she is in the final film - and in many scenes, she is said to be someone who refuses to take responsibility for her wrongdoings. Emily Blunt softens her greatly through her performance, showing that Norah is very much a lost girl who needs direction in life. As a result, some scenes were changed around to reflect this.
  • According to Amy Adams, Mac as originally written was much more cocky and unsympathetic, but Steve Zahn softened him a lot more and made it understandable why Rose would want to be with him.
• Awesome, Dear Boy: Emily Blunt jumped at the chance to play Amy Adams's sister, having been a fan of hers from Junebug.
• The Danza: Mary Lynn Rajskub as Lynn.
• Deleted Role: Eric Christian Olsen filmed a few scenes as Randy, one of Norah's booty calls. Most of his scenes are deleted, except for the one where Norah sees a report about an ambulance crash while on the couch with him and a brief glimpse of him at a party where Norah says "he's not my boyfriend".
• Fake American: British actress Emily Blunt does a nice American accent as Norah. It only slips during a scene towards the end.
• Friendship on the Set: Emily Blunt and Amy Adams confessed to bonding instantly and feeling like actual sisters after only a few days.
• Queer Character, Queer Actor: Lynn has an attraction to women. Her actress Mary Lynn Rajskub is bisexual.
• Separated-at-Birth Casting: Marya Beauvais, who plays Rose and Norah's deceased mother in a small role, has a striking resemblance to Amy Adams - making it very believable that they could be mother and daughter.
• Typecasting:
  • Amy Adams as the doe-eyed cutie. She also cleans houses and wears a pink uniform to do so, feeling reminiscent of Giselle from Enchanted.
  • Emily Blunt as the Good Bad Girl.
  • Clifton Collins Jr had played disabled in Mindhunters too, though he was in a wheelchair.
• Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Word of God is that the story was inspired by a news report about two women in Seattle who ran a biohazard removal cleaning service. The two women were just good friends as opposed to sisters however.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Norah is a little less sympathetic in the original script. Lynn for instance learns the truth when she finds her old baby pictures in Norah's house and Norah's apology to Rose about burning the house down is outright said to be insincere. The scene at the aftermath of the fire would have Norah refusing any responsibility at all, and it would be implied that she was frequently stoned at work. Emily Blunt softens her considerably through her performance and the first scene mentioned is changed to telling Lynn personally and she's genuinely sorry when she apologises to Rose.
  • There were several scenes deleted that explored Norah and Lynn's relationship even further. They shared a kiss in Norah's house and Norah begged Lynn for forgiveness after the "don't call me" scene - though she would be rebuffed. This makes Norah more obviously bisexual in hindsight, whereas in the finished film it's left ambiguous.
  • The script shows that Rose and Mac would occasionally hook up at Rose's house as well. The scene with Oscar going into the van and talking on the CB was preceded by him overhearing Rose and Mac having sex in the other room, and walking out of the house.
  • An extra scene for the ending would show Norah working with the Gorilla Foundation a month after leaving home.