Trivia / Get Shorty

For the film:

• Actor-Inspired Element: Gene Hackman enjoyed working with Bette Midler so much that he asked if they could add her into another scene.
• California Doubling: All of the Miami-set scenes were filmed in Los Angeles.
• Cast the Runner-Up: While Danny DeVito was Barry Sonnenfeld's first choice for the role of Chilli Palmer because of his natural charisma, he could not fit it into his schedule (he was directing Matilda) so he ended up playing the smaller role of Martin Weir instead.
• Completely Different Title: The Brazilian title of the movie is "The Name Of The Game" ("O Nome do Jogo"), a play of words on the film's approached similarity between the mob and hollywood (i.e. it's the same thing, the difference is "the name of the game").
• Creator-Preferred Adaptation: Elmore Leonard said that this is the best film adapted from one of his books.
• Deleted Role: A scene with Ben Stiller as the director of one of Harry's low-budget B-movies was cut from the film because it didn't suit the flow of it. Even though Barry Sonnenfeld thought it was funny (maybe the funniest scene in the movie) it did nothing to advance the plot so it had to go.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Finally within sight of producing a prestige movie that will serve as his legacy, Harry crows, "This is gonna be my Driving Miss Daisy!" While in 1995, that film was still very respected, subsequent history has not been kind to it. By the 2000s, popular opinion had swung against it as a White Savior movie. For example, a whole section of 2006's Be Kind Rewind is dedicated to lampooning it as condescending.
• Reality Subtext: If you listen to the DVD Commentary and watch the Making Of specials on the DVD, you will learn that what the book is making fun of how movies are made actually happened in this movie, to an extremely funny and ironic level. Examples include:
  • Danny DeVito bought the rights to the movie before actually reading it, just like Chili Palmer in the book/film.
  • Danny De Vito was originally going to play the role of Chili Palmer, but he and other producers thought he'd be too short for the role, which is the ending punch line of the movie!
  • Danny De Vito was asked a question in the Making Of interviews and starts rambling in an arrogant way and then admits that he forgot what the original question was, totally as his character Martin Weir would do.
  • Danny De Vito, and other actors admit to ordering totally off-menu and not knowing their own address just like Martin Weir.
• Starring a Star as a Star: Instantly recognizable star Danny DeVito plays Oscar-winning superstar Martin Weir (a step up from DeVito's actual, if not ignominious, career.)
• Uncredited Role: Bette Midler and Harvey Kietel.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Keaton, Al Pacino and Bruce Willis all turned down the role of Chili Palmer.
  • Samuel L. Jackson was the first choice for Bo Catlett.
  • Matthew McConaughey and Steve Buscemi were considered for Ronnie Wingate.
  • John Goodman turned down the role of Bear.
  • Studio Executives' first choice to direct the picture was Quentin Tarantino. He declined, though he did persuade John Travolta to star in it. Tarantino's next film was another Leonard adaptation, Jackie Brown, his only adaptation to date.
  • Momo was originally going to be shot, but Barry Sonnenfeld thought it would be funnier if a surprise party gave him a heart attack.

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