History Trivia / CapeFear

** The role of Max Cady was first offered to Creator/ErnestBorgnine.

* CastTheRunnerUp: Creator/MartinScorsese offered Creator/GregoryPeck the choice of a judge, an assistant DA or Cady’s sleazy lawyer. He chose the lawyer. In turn, Martin Balsam took up the role of the judge.

* PlayingAgainstType: Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck basically swapped roles in their {{RemakeCameo}}s, with Mitchum playing an upstanding police officer and Peck playing Cady's sleazy AmoralAttorney.
* ShoutOut: Gregory Peck's character Lee Heller is a nod to Creator/HarperLee, the author of ''Film/ToKillAMockingbird'', where Peck also played an attorney in a rape case. Heller is even dressed similarly to Atticus Finch.

* CastTheRunnerUp: Creator/MartinScorsese offered Creator/GregoryPeck the choice of a judge, an assistant DA or Cady’s sleazy lawyer. He chose the lawyer.

* FollowTheLeader: The film was admittedly an attempt at replicating the style of Creator/AlfredHitchcock, in particular ''Film/{{Psycho}}'', down to being shot in black-and-white.

* UsefulNotes/AFIS100YearsSeries:
** AFIS100Years100Thrills: #61
** AFIS100Years100HeroesAndVillains: #28 Villain, Max Cady

* AFIS100YearsSeries:

** Robert DeNiro and Juliette Lewis also both came up with the idea of her sucking his thumb during the auditorium scene. What you see in the final movie is the first take.

* RomanceOnTheSet: Thankfully averted. Creator/JulietteLewis developed a crush on Creator/RobertDeNiro.

** Creator/DrewBarrymore tested for the role of Danielle Bowden but failed the audition. She later said she had "acted all over the place and it was just the biggest disaster of my life". Creator/ReeseWitherspoon also auditioned. Creator/NicoleKidman lobbied for the role, but Scorsese wanted a younger actress. Creator/AlyssaMilano was offered the role, but had to turn down the role, due to pressure from fellow ''Series/WhosTheBoss'' cast member Creator/TonyDanza. Creator/ChristinaApplegate did an audition, but had to turn down the part due to conflicts from ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' producer Ron Leavitt. Creator/TiffaniThiessen turned it down due to ''Series/SavedByTheBell''. Creator/JenniferConnelly and Creator/WinonaRyder both turned down the role. Creator/ShannenDoherty, Creator/JodieFoster, Creator/HelenHunt, Creator/DianeLane, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Creator/MollyRingwald, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/WinonaRyder and Creator/BrookeShields were also considered.

* DuellingMovies: With ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', another film about a deranges criminal on the loose.

** Creator/DrewBarrymore tested for the role of Danielle Bowden but failed the audition. She later said she had "acted all over the place and it was just the biggest disaster of my life". Creator/ReeseWitherspoon also auditioned. Creator/NicoleKidman lobbied for the role, but Scorsese wanted a younger actress. Creator/AlyssaMilano was offered the role, but had to turn down the role, due to pressure from fellow ''Series/WhosTheBoss'' cast member Creator/TonyDanza. Creator/ChristinaApplegate did an audition, but had to turn down the part due to conflicts from ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' producer Ron Leavitt. Creator/JenniferConnelly and Creator/WinonaRyder both turned down the role. Creator/ShannenDoherty, Creator/JodieFoster, Creator/HelenHunt, Creator/DianeLane, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Creator/MollyRingwald, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/WinonaRyder and Creator/BrookeShields were also considered.

** Creator/TellySavalas was screen tested for the role of Max Cady, but later played private eye Charlie Sievers.
** Creator/JimBackus was set to play attorney Dave Grafton, but had to drop out due to conflicts with ''Series/GilligansIsland''.

* {{Improv}}: Creator/RobertDeNiro and Creator/IlleanaDouglas's (Sam's collegue) scenes were improvised.
* IronyAsSheIsCast: Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck basically swapped roles in their {{RemakeCameo}}s, with Mitchum playing an upstanding police officer and Peck playing Cady's sleazy AmoralAttorney.

* CastingGag: Creator/GregoryPeck in his aforementioned role.

** Creator/CharlesBronson, Creator/JamesCoburn, Creator/CharltonHeston and Creator/JohnWayne were all considered for Sam Bowden. Creator/GregoryPeck was a last-minute replacement for Heston, who was originally cast.

** Creator/DrewBarrymore tested for the role of Danielle Bowden but failed the audition. She later said she had "acted all over the place and it was just the biggest disaster of my life". Creator/ReeseWitherspoon also auditioned.
** Creator/NicoleKidman lobbied for the role of Danielle, but Scorsese wanted a younger actress.
** Creator/JenniferConnelly and Creator/WinonaRyder both turned down the role of Danielle. Creator/ShannenDoherty, Creator/JodieFoster, Creator/HelenHunt, Creator/DianeLane, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Creator/MollyRingwald, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/WinonaRyder and Creator/BrookeShields were also considered.
** Creator/AlyssaMilano was offered the role of Danielle but had to turn down the role, due to pressure from fellow ''Series/WhosTheBoss'' cast member Creator/TonyDanza.
** Creator/ChristinaApplegate did an audition for the role of Danielle, but had to turn down the part due to conflicts from ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' producer Ron Leavitt.

** Creator/JenniferConnelly and Creator/WinonaRyder both turned down the role of Danielle. Creator/ShannenDoherty, Creator/JodieFoster, Creator/HelenHunt, Creator/DianeLane, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Creator/MollyRingwald, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/WinonaRyder and [[Series/SavedByTheBell Tiffani Thiessen]] were also considered.

** Scorsese wanted Creator/HarrisonFord for Sam Bowden. Creator/RobertRedford was also considered.
** Creator/BradDourif was considered for Max Cady.

** Creator/JenniferConnelly and Creator/WinonaRyder both turned down the role of Danielle. Creator/SarahJessicaParker was also considered.
** Creator/ShannenDoherty, Creator/JodieFoster, Creator/HelenHunt, Creator/DianeLane, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Creator/MollyRingwald, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/WinonaRyder and [[Series/SavedByTheBell Tiffani Thiessen]] were considered for Danielle.

** Creator/ShannenDoherty, Nicole Eggert, Bridget Fonda, Creator/JodieFoster, Helen Hunt, Creator/DianeLane, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Creator/MollyRingwald, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/WinonaRyder, Brooke Shields and [[Series/SavedByTheBell Tiffani Thiessen]] were considered for Danielle.

** Creator/CharlesBronson, Creator/JamesCoburn, Creator/CharltonHeston, Creator/JackPalance, and Creator/JohnWayne were all considered for Sam Bowden. Creator/GregoryPeck was a last-minute replacement for Heston, who was originally cast.
** Creator/RodSteiger wanted to play Max Cady, but he backed off when he heard Creator/RobertMitchum was considering the role.

* IronyAsHeIsCast: Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck basically swapped roles in their {{RemakeCameo}}s, with Mitchum playing an upstanding police officer and Peck playing Cady's sleazy AmoralAttorney.

** Telly Savalas was screen tested for the role of Max Cady, but later played private eye Charlie Sievers.

** Lee J. Thompson wanted Creator/HaleyMills for the part of Nancy.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The director wanted Haley Mills for the part of Nancy.

* PlayingAgainstType: Both Creator/GregoryPeck and Creator/RobertMitchum in the remake, but more so Peck, who played a scumbag lawyer far removed from the actor's morally upstanding men he made a career of portraying.

* DyeingForYourArt: Creator/RobertDeNiro paid a dentist $20,000 to mess up his teeth to play long-term prison inmate Cady. Afterwards, it cost him $25,000 to have the damage fixed.
** De Niro also had Cady's tattoos done for real (with vegetable dye, which would have faded after shooting was complete) and bulked up until he looked more physically imposing than Creator/NickNolte.

* EnforcedMethodActing: Inadvertently done, possibly. Disappointed because he couldn't get Creator/HayleyMills for the role of Nancy, the director gave Lori Martin a hard time during filming, which probably resulted in her nailing every scene as the terrified, vulnerable girl.

* RecycledSoundtrack:
** The film reuses Music/BernardHerrmann's score from the original.
** The music that is heard at the climax of the movie was a piece of music that Herrmann had written for Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/TornCurtain'', but that piece of music was never used. Music/ElmerBernstein had always liked that original score and he asked Creator/MartinScorsese if it could be used in Cape Fear.
* RomanceOnTheSet: Thankfully averted. Juliette Lewis developed a crush on Creator/RobertDeNiro.
* ThrowItIn: In the auditorium scene, it was Creator/RobertDeNiro's idea to put his thumb in Juliette Lewis' mouth.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/StevenSpielberg was slated to direct this while Creator/MartinScorsese was slated to direct ''Film/SchindlersList''.

** [[Series/BeverlyHills90210 Shannen Doherty]], Nicole Eggert, Bridget Fonda, Creator/JodieFoster, Helen Hunt, Diane Lane, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Creator/MollyRingwald, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/WinonaRyder, Brooke Shields and [[Series/SavedByTheBell Tiffani Thiessen]] were considered for Danielle.

* EnforcedMethodActing: Inadvertently done, possibly. Disappointed because he couldn't get Hayley Mills for the role of Nancy, the director gave Lori Martin a hard time during filming, which probably resulted in her nailing every scene as the terrified, vulnerable girl.