Trivia / Donnie Darko

• Acclaimed Flop: Its theatrical run was not very financially successful, largely attributable to its unusual, difficult-to-market premise and the fact that it was given a limited theatrical run because it came out shortly after 9/11. Critics reacted well to it, however.
• Actor-Inspired Element:
  • Jake Gyllenhaal was the one who suggested his sister Maggie play Elizabeth Darko.
  • Noah Wyle deciding his character was diabetic (watch for the Jolly Rancher candies).
  • Patrick Swayze wore his own clothes from The '80s for the film.
• Based on a Dream: Possibly. Frank may have been based on a dream Richard Kelly had, but he's unsure if he instead came from his love of Watership Down.
• Breakaway Pop Hit: Gary Jules' stripped down, Softer and Slower Cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" is arguably more popular than the film it came from.
• California Doubling: Set in Virginia, filmed in California.
• Corpsing: Beth Grant made Richard Kelly laugh so much when reading her line "he told me to forcibly insert these cards into my anus!" he had to leave the set.
• Dawson Casting: Sort of. Jake Gyllenhaal was nineteen playing a sixteen-year-old. Maggie Gyllenhaal was twenty-three - though it's not stated exactly what age Elizabeth is supposed to be. Averted with Jena Malone, who was still a teenager.
• Deleted Scene: An alternate ending, where Donnie dies by being impaled on a post.
• Distanced from Current Events: The original advertising material featured a crashing plane. Opening close to September 11 2001, naturally this was all pulled, resulting in the film tanking at the box office due to lack of advertising. It gained its audience when it was released on DVD, becoming a runaway hit and attracting cult attention.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Patrick Swayze frosted his hair for the part.
• Executive Meddling: Subverted. The studio tried to pressure Richard Kelly to remove the 80s setting and place the film in more contemporary times. He ultimately couldn't find a way to make the story work without setting it in The '80s.
• Invisible Advertising: Not, for once, because the studio was trying to sabotage the movie, but because between the small budget and the unfortunate timing of the release of a movie in which a jet engine falling into a house is a key plot point within two months of 9/11, there was neither the resources nor the will to widely promote the movie no matter how much buzz it had gotten at Sundance.
• Life Imitates Art: The film was shot in twenty-eight days - the exact amount of time the story covers.
• One-Hit Wonder: Richard Kelly directed two other movies afterwards, but they both got poor reviews and aren't well remembered today. Likewise, the soundtrack's most famous song, the cover of "Mad World", is Gary Jules' only claim to fame and composer Michael Andrews' only chart presence.
• One-Take Wonder: The shot of the jet engine falling into Donnie's room was done in one take.
• Orphaned Reference: Donnie compares Jim Cunningham to C.H.U.D., reflecting that he and Gretchen were supposed to see it originally in the movie theatre scene (see below).
• Playing Against Type: Patrick Swayze, known for playing smooth heroic types, as a sleazy motivational speaker who is also a child molester.
• Produced By Castmember: On the set of Charlie's Angels (2000), Drew Barrymore and Richard Kelly agreed that her production company, Flower Films, would produce this film for $4.5 million (and that Barrymore would play Miss Pomeroy). Kelly says that if Barrymore hadn't stepped in, the movie would have either gone straight to video or cable television via Starz.
• Real-Life Relative: Brother and sister Donnie and Elizabeth Darko are played by brother and sister Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
• Screwed by the Lawyers:
  • Donnie's sexual fantasies in the original script were to be about Alyssa Milano. For "legal reasons" it had to be changed to Christina Applegate.
  • In the movie theater scene, Richard Kelly originally intended to have Donnie and Gretchen going to see C.H.U.D.. However, there were problems with finding out who owned the rights to the movie. Finally, Sam Raimi came to the rescue by allowing Kelly to use and distort footage from The Evil Dead (1981), free of charge.
  • Some songs featured in the movie were substitutes for songs which the makers wanted, but were denied the rights. The dance performance was performed to "West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys, and Duran Duran's "Notorious" was re-dubbed in post-production. U2's "MLK" in the final scene, was substituted with Gary Jules' cover of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World" instead.
• Star-Making Role: This is the film that launched Jake Gyllenhaal's career and brought his sister Maggie to wider attention.
• Throw It In!:
  • The Halloween setting was simply because it was when Richard Kelly started writing the script. Likewise, the twenty-eight day significance was because that's how long it took to write the script.
  • Donnie correcting Gretchen was due to Jena Malone struggling to pronounce Dr Kenneth Monnitoff's name.
• Typecasting: Beth Grant in the 2000s was often cast as grumpy or antagonistic old ladies like Kitty Farmer.
• Vindicated by Video: The film's cult really grew once it hit video, and with the internet becoming more commonplace led to various message boards and fan sites being created. Home video sales eventually led to the film making its money back and spurred the creation of the (contested) Director's Cut.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Well out of his teens, Vince Vaughn reportedly turned down the part of Donnie due to his age. Mark Wahlberg was interested in the part, but apparently was only willing to play the part with a lisp. Jason Schwartzman was attached for a long time as Donnie, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
  • Mara Wilson was apparently given a script to read for a role in the movie, but was evidently freaked out over the Mind Screw of a script at a time she was already physically ill in her hotel room in England, and passed on the role as a result. And now she plays The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home in the equally Mind Screwy Welcome to Night Vale.
  • Richard Kelly originally wanted Tim Robbins for Eddie Darko.
  • The first draft of the script had Donnie waking up in a shopping mall rather than golf course.
• Word of God: According to the commentary by Richard Kelly, the Man in the Red Jogging Suit is an agent from the FAA, which was so confused by the jet engine event that they sent agents to monitor the family members. The Mystery Woman, seen during Sparkle Motion's talent show performance, was a talent scout from Star Search.

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