Trivia / The Man in the Iron Mask

• Acting for Two: Leonardo DiCaprio as King Louis and Philippe.
• All-Star Cast: There is quite a line-up of high-profile actors for the main cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne.
• The Danza: Anne Parillaud as Queen Anne.
• Dueling Movies: This film came out in close proximity to the fellow 1998 swashbuckler The Mask of Zorro. Both feature older versions of the classic hero coming back into action in order to take down a corrupt ruler and mentoring a younger hero in training.
• Fake Nationality: The film features an eclectic array of fake Frenchmen. Most notable were Englishman Jeremy Irons as Aramis, Irishman Gabriel Byrne as D'Artagnan, American John Malkovich as Athos, American Peter Sarsgaard as his son, and American Leonardo DiCaprio as King Louis XIV, none of whom particularly bothered to disguise their country of origin. This was made particularly noticeable by having actual Frenchpeople, Gérard Depardieu and Anne Parillaud, round out the cast as Porthos and Anne of Austria — who, despite her designation, was from Spain. Judith Godreche (Christine) is the only other French actor.
• Follow the Leader: This film was a part of a wave of modern swashbucklers that updated classic stories that followed up the success of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Notably, a previous film that was a part of this trend was an unrelated version of The Three Musketeers (1993). It would appear a number of people growing up were confused as to whether or not this was supposed to be a sequel to that film, interestingly enough.
• Multiple Languages, Same Voice Actor: French actors Gérard Depardieu (Porthos), Anne Parillaud (Queen Anne) and Judith Godrèche (Christine) reprise their role in the French dub.
• Playing Against Type:
  • Leonardo DiCaprio as the utterly despicable and possibly psychopathic Louis.
  • Jeremy Irons, who normally plays villains, plays a heroic character, and a Musketeer, no less.
• Playing Their Own Twin: Leo as Louis and Philippe.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Anthony Hopkins was the first choice of Randall Wallace to play Aramis, though he turned it down due to filming commitments with The Mask of Zorro. Sam Neill and Alan Rickman were also considered.
  • Kevin Kline passed on the opportunity to play Athos.
  • Liam Neeson was considered for D'Artagnan.

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