Trivia / The Cell

• Cast the Expert: Julia needed to be a strong swimmer, so they cast Tara Subkoff, who had a background as a lifeguard.
• Cast the Runner-Up: Tarsem Singh would have liked to swap Catherine Sutherland and Tara Subkoff's roles around as, while Tara was cast for her swimming, she couldn't hold her breath underwater without also holding her nose. But there wasn't enough money or time to have Catherine's scenes redone, so they went ahead with the troublesome situation.
• Contractual Purity: Jennifer Lopez had to warn that the film was not meant for the younger fans who listened to her music.
• Creator Backlash: Screenwriter Mark Protosevich disowned the final film, saying it barely resembled his script. He holds out for the film to get an improved remake one day.
• DVD Commentary: By Tarsem Singh.
• Enforced Method Acting: Costume designer Eiko Ishioka designed Jennifer Lopez's wardrobe to be uncomfortable because her character was meant to be "tortured".
• Executive Meddling: During the mind scene where Stargher disembowels Novak, Novak was supposed to remind Catherine that she had an abortion at college, which made her become a child psychologist. Test audiences didn't like it and was replaced with Catherine's brother in a car accident and a coma for six months before his death.
• Follow the Leader: This was greenlit immediately following the success of The Sixth Sense.
• Playing Against Type: Vince Vaughn sought the role of an FBI agent to break out of his comedy typecasting. He tried to do the same for the remake of Psycho and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
• Production Posse: Tarsem Singh and Eiko Ishioka collaborated on every project of his until her passing in 2012.
• Prop Recycling: The red bodysuit was Dracula's armour re-used from Bram Stoker's Dracula, which Eiko Ishioka was costume designer on as well.

---