Trivia / The Perfect Storm

• Cast the Runner-Up: George Clooney wanted to play Bobby Shatford, but Wolfgang Petersen felt that he was better suited for Billy Tyne.
• Disowned Adaptation: The family members of Bill Tyne and Dale Murphy didn't like the movie, and sued the studio.
• Playing Against Type: John C. Reilly, who is best known these days for his comedic roles like Step Brothers (or his Oscar-nominated role in Chicago), is in a nearly dead serious drama. Then again, he's been known for appearing in both comedy and drama productions over the years, regularly bouncing between Tom Hanks Syndrome and Leslie Nielsen Syndrome and getting away with it.
• Separated-at-Birth Casting: Michael Ironside so greatly resembled the real-life character he portrayed (Bob Brown, owner of the Andrea Gail and her sister boat, the Hannah Boden) that, during the film's production, he was visited by a man who was looking to finish paying off a debt he'd long owed to Brown. The man in question didn't know that the real Bob Brown had passed away in 1998, over a year before the film's production started.
• Throw It In!: During the funeral scene towards the end, the microphone picked up Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's heartbeat while she was making her speech. The director liked the effect and left it in.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson were offered the role of Billy Tyne. Ford wasn't interested and Gibson's asking price was too high.
  • Nicolas Cage was originally attached to play Bobby Shatford, but backed out due to other commitments. Ben Affleck was also considered.
  • Subverted with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio who was reluctant to sign on, vowing never to do another film involving water after The Abyss's nightmarish production. As all her scenes were land-based, she was persuaded to come on board.

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