Trivia / The Crying Game

• Breakthrough Hit: Neil Jordan had debuted to critical acclaim with his film Angel, but most of his follow-ups were financial failures (although The Company of Wolves became a Cult Classic). He intended to give up directing if this one didn't succeed, but thankfully it did, and put him on the map as a director.
• …But I Play One on TV: Miranda Richardson recalls getting a lot of flack from IRA sympathisers for giving such an unflattering portrayal of a terrorist.
• Channel Hop: Many studios rejected the film, fearing the twist would scare away audiences.
• Costume Backlash: Miranda Richardson found Bernice's disguise in the latter part of the film to be ridiculous.
  "Given that she was supposed to be in disguise, she stood out like a sore thumb, looking more like a Samurai."
• Cross-Cast Role: Jaye Davidson of course. At one point he became ill on set and a doctor was called to see him. Not knowing his gender, the doctor suggested he might be pregnant.
• Distanced from Current Events: The film was unlucky to be released in the UK the same month as an IRA bombing of the Sussex Arms, and the press were not thrilled at the sympathetic depiction of an IRA member. It ultimately failed at the British box office. After it became a Sleeper Hit in the US, it was re-released to much better success.
• Fake Brit: The American Forest Whitaker as the British Jody.
• Fake Irish: Miranda Richardson (British) as Bernice. She was even unsure if she should take the role at first, worrying she couldn't do a convincing accent.
• I Am Not Spock: Jaye Davidson gave up acting after only making one other film, disliking the fame that came with it, and transitioned into modelling and fashion design. As a result, he is best known for playing Dil.
• Irony as She Is Cast: Tony Slattery plays a man taunting an Irishman with anti-Irish comments. He himself is the son of first-generation Irish immigrants to the UK.
• Money, Dear Boy: Jaye Davidson wasn't initially keen on being in the film, and only accepted to pay for a pair of riding boots.
• No Budget: The film was shot on a shoestring, and came very close to running out of money. Costume designer Sandy Powell had to lend Jaye Davidson some of her own clothes, as they were luckily the same size.
• No Stunt Double: Miranda Richardson drove the car herself for the getaway scene because "our stunt driver was being too mimsy."
• Queer Character, Queer Actor: Jaye Davidson, who's gay, plays the trans woman Dil.
• Production Posse: Stephen Rea naturally appears in a prominent role in a Neil Jordan film.
• Reality Subtext: Stephen Rea was married to a woman who was involved with the IRA and later jailed for terrorist activities.
• Trans Character, Cis Actor: Dil is a trans woman played by cis actor Jaye Davidson.
• Underage Casting: Several lines imply that Dil is much older than Fergus. Jaye Davidson is two decades younger than Stephen Rea.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The first draft of the script had Dil as a cisgender woman. Neil Jordan also faced studios trying to cast a cisgender actress in the role, fearing they wouldn't find an androgynous male who could convincingly pass.
  • An alternate ending was written to appease backers Channel 4 - who feared that the film couldn't be released with the original one. This ending was filmed but everyone agreed it didn't work, and Neil Jordan got the funding he needed to film the original ending.
• Working Title: The film was going to be called The Soldier's Wife, but Stanley Kubrick suggested Neil Jordan change it - as he felt films with military titles turned away audiences. 'The Crying Game' was the name of a 60s pop song.

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