Kristin Scott Thomas was cast after writing a letter to director Anthony Minghella which included the statement "I am 'K' in your film".
Originally, 20th Century Fox was to finance the film, but disputes arose between the studio and the producers over casting. In particular, Fox preferred a more well-known actress to play Katharine Clifton instead of Kristin Scott Thomas; Demi Moore was lobbying particularly hard for the role. After the producers refused to give in on a series of casting choices, Fox backed out of the film, and the project was uncertain just as production was about to begin. However, within a few weeks - during which the cast and crew stayed on in Italy without knowing if the film would be made - the film was picked up by Miramax.
Hana is very distressed when Kip is called on to disarm a bomb since she fears she will never see him again. When Kip is with the bomb he reads off its serial number which starts with "K-K-I-P..." The bomb literally has his name on it!
Ralph Fiennes was the voice of Jesus in The Miracle Maker (2000) (TV), an animated TV movie. Therefore, this film has three Christ actors.
When Twentieth Century Fox was involved in the film, they tried to talk the producers out of casting Willem Dafoe and suggested three choices for the role of Caravaggio: John Goodman, Danny DeVito, or Richard Dreyfuss.
In the scene where Hana is being pulled up to see the paintings in the church, the electric power and smoke for her "torch" was being piped through the seemingly real rope on which she was sitting.
Anthony Minghella read the novel in one sitting after completing a previous shoot in New York; when he finished, he was completely disoriented and at first couldn't remember where he was, but he phoned Saul Zaentz the next morning to try and interest him in the project. Zaentz not only read the book but discovered that author Michael Ondaatje was giving a reading near Zaentz' home that weekend.
Saul Zaentz provided $6,000,000 of the budget himself in return for a guarantee he would get final cut.
|
