Trivia / Gosford Park

• Actor-Inspired Element: Bob Balaban (Morris Weissman) instigated the project, helped Robert Altman brainstorm the concept, and also co-produced the film.
• All-Star Cast: No less than seven Knights of the British Theatre in the cast - Alan Bates, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Kristin Scott Thomas and Derek Jacobi.
• Creator Backlash: Very mildly. Jeremy Northam wasn't thrilled with his singing and piano playing in this film, feeling he was "rusty" and saying he'd stick to acting from then on.
• Fake Scot: American Ryan Phillippe as the Scottish Henry Denton. In-universe as he's an actor from Los Angeles.
• Harpo Does Something Funny: In certain large scenes with lots of characters, the actors were given room to improvise.
• Method Acting: Kristin Scott Thomas remained in character while on set (unknowingly) and recalls people always tensing up whenever she entered a room.
• Non-Singing Voice: When Ivor Novello plays the piano, it's actually Jeremy Northam's brother Christopher playing - as he's a classically trained pianist.
• The Other Marty: Jude Law was cast as Henry Denton but withdrew at the last minute, and was replaced by Ryan Phillippe.
• Playing Against Type: Stephen Fry is known for playing very smart characters so playing the dimwitted Inspector is a far cry from his usual roles.
• Playing with Character Type: Ryan Phillippe was best known for his roles in Teen Dramas in the late 90s, and this was among several films transitioning away from that. While it's unusual to see him in a British period piece about the class differences, playing a sleazy actor who tries to force himself on Mary isn't that far off base.
• Stillborn Franchise: Downton Abbey was originally intended as a spin-off of this film, and indeed features three cast members - Maggie Smith, Richard E. Grant and Jeremy Swift. This was later dropped and Downton ended up set two decades earlier.
• Throw It In!:
  • All of Maggie Smith's one-liners were in the script apart from "Difficult color, green".
  • According to Helen Mirren, Robert Altman made Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Croft sisters on the fly, as he thought it would be more interesting.
• What Could Have Been: Kenneth Branagh was the first choice to play the Inspector, but he was unavailable and so Stephen Fry was cast. Also Alan Rickman and Judi Dench were considered for roles in the film.
• Working Title: The original title was The Other Side of the Tapestry, but Robert Altman thought it was awkward. Julian Fellowes began looking through some books and came up with Gosford Park. Altman said:
  Nobody liked it, everyone fought me on it. But when you make a picture using a name, that's its name. It's not a gripping title. But then M*A*S*H wasn't either.
• Written By Castmember: Helen Mirren claimed that she and Eileen Atkins wrote their final scene together themselves.

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