Trivia / Up in the Air

• California Doubling: In this case, St. Louis Doubling. The film takes place in over a dozen cities all over the US, but almost all the airport and airplane scenes were shot in St. Louis, and locations in St. Louis double for locations in several other cities, including Chicago. The scenes set in Detroit, along with a few other scenes, were filmed in Detroit albeit in the wrong terminal. All of the Northwest signage on the walls was covered by posters for American although blurred out Northwest and Continental signs could still be seen at the gate podiums.
• The Cast Showoff: Anna Kendrick is a talented singer, and sings "Time After Time" during a karaoke scene.
• Enforced Method Acting: The employees talking about their job climate at the beginning and end of the film were real-life employees who had been recently laid off. The crew told them that they were filming a documentary so they would be truthful as possible and not be playing to a camera.
• Playing Against Type:
  • Danny McBride's character is not the kind of crass high energy you expect from him. He's calm and nice for the most part.
  • Jason Bateman plays a heartless (and bearded!) boss, instead of one of his usual Nice Guy, worker roles.
• Real-Life Relative: When Bob shows Ryan a photo of his two children, it is a photo of J. K. Simmons' real children.
• Saved from Development Hell: Jason Reitman was set to make this just shortly after the novel's publication, but other projects got in the way (Thank You for Smoking and Juno). Reitman says the final product wouldn't have been as good if he made it in his early 20's and wouldn't have been as timely if he made it when the economy wasn't a major issue.
• Star-Making Role: For Anna Kendrick. It also gave Vera Farmiga a serious boost, including her first (and so far only) Oscar nomination, but she'd already got on the map with The Departed.
• Stunt Double: Veteran Ms. Fanservice Vera Farmiga, who usually has no problem getting her kit off for the camera, actually used a double for her nude scene in this film, as she'd just had a baby and was still nursing.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Jason Reitman stated that if George Clooney had passed on the role of Ryan Bingham, he would have re-written the part for Steve Martin. Reitman claimed that the movie would have become "much more like Lost in Translation was for Bill Murray."
  • Emily Blunt and Elliot Page were considered for Natalie.
  • According to Vera Farmiga, despite her role having been written with her in mind, she nearly didn't get the part because she'd just had a baby and, according to certain executives, needed to lose weight. Fortunately for all concerned, Reitman and Clooney put their collective foot down, and she stayed in the role — which ultimately got her an Oscar nomination.

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