Trivia / You Were Never Really Here

• Actor-Inspired Element: In the original novel, Joe wore latex gloves and other forms of protection in order to erase evidence of his presence when rescuing girls. Joaquin Phoenix persuaded the director to exclude the usages of those props in order to add more authenticity to his character.
• Enforced Method Acting: Joaquin Phoenix was told by director Lynne Ramsay to listen to recordings of fireworks and gunfire in order to understand what kind of thoughts were in Joe's mind.
• Saved from Development Hell: Zigzagged. Ramsay submitted an incomplete form of the movie to the Cannes Film Festival, but the acclaim her unfinished film received at the festival made way for its completion and eventual public release.
• Serendipity Writes the Plot: Turns out the limited amount of action wasn’t just for a story reason. Lynne Ramsay’s budget was so low she couldn’t afford the elaborate action scenes she had planned and so instead decided to keep the violence brief while focusing mainly on the aftermath, which ended up working in the story's favor.
• Throw It In!: According to director Lynne Ramsay, the scene where Joe lies down next to the dying agent and sings to him was entirely improvised by Joaquin Phoenix.

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