Trivia / The Other Boleyn Girl

• Creator Backlash: Mark Rylance ended up disliking the movie due to all the historical inaccuracies.
• Deleted Scene: One scene that was cut showed Anne taking on the role of ward to Mary's son out of obligation.
• Dueling-Stars Movie: Natalie Portman vs. Scarlett Johansson.
• Fake Brit: Both Anne and Mary are played by American actresses (though the former was born in Israel), while Henry is played by an Australian.
• Playing Against Type: Natalie Portman would be more likely to play Mary Boleyn. Playing a scheming Femme Fatale like Anne was different for her. Likewise, by the time the movie was made, Scarlett Johansson would more likely have portrayed a scheming femme fatale like Anne instead of the more demure Mary.
• Prop Recycling: Anne wears a necklace that had previously been used in Ugly Betty. On the other side, Betty's necklace was inspired by a real item Anne Boleyn wore.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Keira Knightley was attached to the project for a long time but eventually dropped out.
  • Jessica Biel — who had just pulled off an against type part in a period piece in The Illusionist (2006) — auditioned for Mary.

---