Trivia / Sayonara

• Awesome, Dear Boy: Marlon Brando - having an interest in Japanese culture after a visit there - was keen to do the film once he heard it would have a pro-tolerance message.
• Darkhorse Casting: Miiko Taka was a complete unknown, cast after a search for an actress who was authentically Japanese. What's more is that she had almost no acting experience. Miyoshi Umeki was similar - mainly known for singing on tours and variety shows but being much more experienced.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Marlon Brando was told to lose ten pounds for his role.
• Fake Nationality: Ricardo Montalbán, born in Mexico to Spanish immigrants, plays a Japanese character.
• Mid-Development Genre Shift: Joshua Logan originally wanted to adapt the novel into a Broadway musical. When that didn't pan out for legal reasons, it became a straight drama.
• Referenced by...:
  • Naked Came the Stranger: Gillian says, "I think southern men are quite sexy. You know, like the character Marlon Brando played in Sayonara."
• Serendipity Writes the Plot: It's a mystery for the first act whether Hana-ogi speaks English - as she remains silent until dinner at Kelly's house (nearly an hour in). This was done partly to minimise Miiko Taka's inexperience.
• Star-Making Role: Miyoshi Umeki became the first Asian actress to win an Oscar, leading to her starring in Flower Drum Song and The Courtship of Eddie's Father.
• Wag the Director: Marlon Brando insisted on playing Ace Gruver with a Southern accent, against the will of the director and producers. Brando adopted a nondescript Southern accent for Gruver, despite the objections of director Joshua Logan, who didn't think that a general's son who was West Point-educated would speak that way.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The film was originally envisioned as a Broadway musical, hence the emphasis on Japanese performing arts. Legal issues saw it becoming a feature film instead.
  • Audrey Hepburn was offered the role of Hana-Ogi but turned it down. She explained that she "couldn't possibly play an Oriental. No one would believe me; they'd laugh. It's a lovely script, however I know what I can and can't do. And if you did persuade me, you would regret it, because I would be terrible."
  • William Holden was originally slated to play Ace Gruver, but left the project to film The Bridge on the River Kwai. Other candidates included Montgomery Clift, Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, James Garner, Rock Hudson, and Paul Newman.
  • Amongst those considered for Mike Bailey was Ronald Reagan.
  • Burt Reynolds auditioned for this movie, but was told he could not be in the film because he looked too much like Marlon Brando.

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