Léon: The Professional
If you want the job done right, hire a professional.
Léon (1994)
Production
Budget
$115 000 000
Revenue
$19 933 265
Director
Scenario
Composer
Producer
Patrice Ledoux
Actors
Jean Reno
Léon Montana
Natalie Portman
Mathilda Lando
Gary Oldman
Norman Stansfield
Danny Aiello
Old Tony
Peter Appel
Agent Malky
Michael Badalucco
Mathilda's Father
Ellen Greene
Mathilda's Mother
Frank Senger
Fatman
Short description
Léon is a professional hitman living quietly in New York, keeping to himself and taking jobs through a contact named Tony. His routine is broken when the family in the neighbouring apartment is killed in a drug-related raid led by Norman Stansfield, a corrupt DEA agent. The only survivor is twelve-year-old Mathilda, who takes refuge with Léon. When she learns how he earns a living, she asks him to teach her his trade so she can avenge her family, and an unusual bond forms between the solitary killer and the girl.
Luc Besson directed and wrote the film, the fifth of the twenty features he has directed to date, following Atlantis and preceding The Fifth Element. Jean Reno plays Léon, Natalie Portman plays Mathilda and Gary Oldman plays Stansfield, with Danny Aiello among the supporting cast; fifty-five cast members and forty-nine crew are credited. Patrice Ledoux produced for Columbia Pictures, Gaumont and Les Films du Dauphin.
The film has drawn a large and favourable audience: on IMDb it holds 8.5 out of 10 from around 1.3 million votes, and on TMDB 8.3 out of 10 from over 16,000 votes. A critics' rating of 7.3 out of 10 from 66 reviews places it somewhat below those audience scores. Against a reported budget of 115 million USD, its worldwide gross of 20 million USD was modest.
What's left behind the scenes
- Liv Tyler also auditioned for the same role, but was deemed too old to play it.
- A rather amusing episode occurred during filming. A certain criminal robbed a store and fled with the loot through the city streets. He suddenly ran into a film crew. Seeing a group of "police officers," he preferred to surrender immediately. Imagine his surprise when he discovered that all the police officers were actually extras filming a movie.
- Léon Gaumont was a well-known French inventor. He made a direct contribution to the development of cinema alongside the Lumière brothers. The French film company "Gaumont" was named in his honor and released this film.
- The make of the pistol used by Léon is called a Beretta 92.
- The main character's full name is Léon Montana.
- The full version of the film has a runtime of 136 minutes.
- The film Leon watches in the cinema is "Singin' in the Rain" (1955) starring Gene Kelly.
- According to Patrice Ledoux, Luc Besson planned "Leon" as a filler. He had already begun working on "The Fifth Element" (1997) at the time, but filming was postponed due to Bruce Willis's schedule. Rather than disband the crew and lose creative momentum, Besson wrote "Leon." It took him only 30 days to write the screenplay, and filming lasted only 90 days.
- Natalie Portman stated that the scene where she dressed up as Marilyn Monroe was inspired by a scene she had seen in the film "Wayne's World" (1992). She confessed that at the time "Leon" was being filmed, she had actually never watched a film starring Monroe.
- Luc Besson came up with the idea to film "Leon" while working on his previous film "Nikita" (1990). In the third act of that film, Victor the Cleaner (Jean Reno) deals with the aftermath of Nikita’s failed mission. Besson saw unrealized potential in this character and decided to create a separate story based on him. Both Victor and Leon appear dressed in long wool coats, dark glasses, and knitted hats. The working title of the film was "The Cleaner."
- The line spoken by Jean Reno's character, "Pigs are better than people," is a tribute to Hayao Miyazaki and the anime film "Porco Rosso" (1992).
- This is Natalie Portman's directorial debut. She was 11 years old when she was cast in the role.
- According to Jean Reno, he decided to play Léon as somewhat intellectually impaired and emotionally repressed. The actor believed that this would prevent the audience from being disturbed by the possibility of him taking advantage of a defenseless little girl for his own selfish purposes.
- Keith A. Glasco, who played Benny, one of Stansfield's henchmen, later joined the New York City Fire Department and worked with Ladder 21 in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. He died in the line of duty during the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001.
- All the scenes in Léon's apartment were filmed in Paris, while the hallway scenes were filmed six weeks earlier in New York.
- 2,000 candidates were auditioned for the role of Mathilda.
- According to Luc Besson, the role of Léon was always intended for Jean Reno and no one else. At the same time, Mel Gibson and Keanu Reeves were very interested in the role.
- According to actress Maïwenn Le Besco, the film is partially based on her romance with director Luc Besson. At the time of filming, Le Besco (playing the prostitute in the opening scene) and Besson were engaged. They met when the actress was 11 years old, and she fell in love with him at the age of 15 (Besson was 32 at the time).
- Mathilda and Danny call Léon 'the cleaner'. In the window of a shop next to Léon's building, all kinds of cleaning supplies are displayed: Brillo scouring pads, bleach, Ajax powder, and soap.
- The yellow-green capsule drug that Stansfield takes is called Librium. It has the generic name 'chlordiazepoxide' and belongs to the class of psychoactive substances 'benzodiazepines'.
- Gary Oldman's character Stansfield is obsessed with Ludwig van Beethoven. Oldman's next film will be "Immortal Beloved," in which he will play the role of this composer.
- For the film's finale, composer Eric Serra wrote the composition "The Experience of Love." However, they decided to use Sting's song "The Shape of My Heart" instead. Serra then decided to use his track in the end credits of his next project, "GoldenEye" (1995). At the same time, the main melody of the composition can be heard throughout the film.
- There were rumors that Luc Besson wrote a script for a sequel with Olivier Megaton in the director's chair and Natalie Portman in the role of the grown-up Mathilda. Filming was constantly postponed while waiting for Portman to reach the appropriate age. Meanwhile, Besson left Gaumont to create his own film studio, EuropaCorp. Gaumont executives, dissatisfied with Besson's departure, refused to give him the rights to "Léon." According to Megaton, a sequel is unlikely to materialize. Besson, however, used the idea of a sequel when creating "Colombiana" (2011).
- In 2012, the British indie-rock band Alt-J released the track "Matilda" inspired by the film.
- This is the second film with Gary Oldman that was filmed at the famous "Chelsea" hotel in New York. The first film is "Sid and Nancy" (1986).
- Stansfield's enormous service revolver is a Smith & Wesson 629 Snub Nose Combat .44 Magnum. Only 5,000 units were produced in a limited edition in the late 1980s.
- In the film, French actor Sami Naseri appears in a tiny role as a special forces operative. He spent only 10 days on set, but impressed Luc Besson so much that the director wrote the script for 'Taxi' (1998) specifically for the actor.
- Christina Ricci auditioned for the role of Mathilda.
- The original script contained scenes of 'awkward sexual tension' between Mathilda and Leon, including a scene where both characters lie in bed and Mathilda discusses sex. These scenes were never included in the American version of the film, but were present in the European version.
- During the scene where Stansfield (Gary Oldman) interrogates Matilda's father (Michael Badalucco), Oldman sniffs him and physically gets very close. According to Badalucco, he had no idea Oldman was going to sniff him or get as close as he did. Badalucco said that his embarrassment and discomfort during the scene in the film are entirely genuine.
- In the initial version of the script, Mathilda (aged 13 or 14) and Léon were to become lovers. Later, Luc Besson removed this aspect of the plot, possibly due to pressure from Natalie Portman's parents.
- Stansfield tells Mathilda's father that he will return at noon. In Léon's apartment, the clock on the wall shows 11:58. The subsequent scene lasts exactly two minutes, and Stansfield and his men return precisely at noon.
- From the "confrontation" scene in Tony's restaurant, we learn that the corrupt DEA agent Stansfield "ordered" his clients through the mobster Tony. Leon was Tony's best hitman, and his "clients" were mainly drug dealers. Thus, it is very likely that Leon, through Tony, unwittingly did work for Stansfield.
- When Mathilda goes to buy milk, Leon arranges a secret signal with her: two knocks, then one, and then two again. 212 is the area code for Manhattan, where the film's plot unfolds.
- When Stansfield's henchmen search Mathilda's apartment, a gangster with dreadlocks, played by Willie One Blood, pauses at a Marcus Children record by reggae legend Burning Spear. This scene was likely included as an "Easter egg," as Willie One Blood also sings in the reggae style.
- When Mathilda and Leon play the "Guess the Actor" game, Mathilda portrays a character by Gene Kelly from the musical "Singin' in the Rain" (1952). Debbie Reynolds, the mother of actress Carrie Fisher, starred in that film. Later, Natalie Portman played the mother of Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher, in three episodes of "Star Wars": "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace," "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones," and "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith."
- Filming took place from June 1st to October 7th, 1993.
- Liv Tyler auditioned for the lead role, but she was considered too old.
- The pistol used by Leon is a Beretta 92.
- During the scene where Stansfield (Gary Oldman) interrogates Matilda's father (Michael Badalucco), Oldman sniffed him. According to Badalucco, he had no idea Oldman was going to do that, and his embarrassment during the scene in the film is entirely genuine.
- According to Jean Reno, he decided to portray Léon as somewhat intellectually disabled and emotionally suppressed. The actor believed that in this case, the audience would not worry about his character taking advantage of a little girl's trust.
- The scene in which Stansfield tells Mathilda's father about his love for Ludwig van Beethoven was completely improvised. The scene was filmed several times, and with each take, Gary Oldman came up with a new story.
- According to Luc Besson, the role of Léon was intended solely for Jean Reno. Mel Gibson and Keanu Reeves were also interested in the role.
- Mathilda and Danny call Léon 'the cleaner.' The window display of a store next to Léon’s building showcases all kinds of cleaning products.
- The medication in yellow-green capsules that Stansfield takes is called Librium.
- Throughout the film, Stansfield wears only a beige suit and a white shirt.
- In the full version of the film, Luc Besson made a cameo appearance as a bandit who opened fire on Léon and Mathilda through the apartment door, and whom Léon kills with a grenade.
- According to Gary Oldman, he decided to shout the phrase "Bring me everyone!" at the top of his lungs to make Luc Besson laugh. "In previous takes, I said this phrase in a normal voice. But then I signaled to the sound engineer to take off his headphones, and I screamed with all my might." This take made it into the film.
- Upon checking into the hotel, Mathilda uses the name McGuffin. In cinema, this is a term introduced by Alfred Hitchcock to denote an object around which the plot of a film is built.
- In the initial script version, Mathilda (aged 13-14) and Léon were to become lovers.
- Natalie Portman's parents were very concerned about the smoking in the film and, before agreeing to her daughter's participation, they signed a contract with Luc Besson that clearly stipulated restrictions regarding the depiction of tobacco products in the film: the film was to contain only five smoking scenes, showing Natalie Portman inhaling or exhaling smoke was prohibited, and Mathilda was to quit smoking.
- Luc Besson forbade Jean Reno and Natalie Portman from rehearsing the scene in which Mathilda puts on the dress given to her by Léon. As a result, the scene managed to capture the actors' genuine awkwardness.
- Natalie Portman recalls that she initially found it impossible to cry on cue. For filming her first emotional scene, she couldn’t force herself to shed tears. Luc Besson solved this problem by asking a member of the crew to spray peppermint oil spray in her eyes. The pain was so intense that Portman instantly learned to cry on cue, just to avoid repeating the procedure with the oil.
- Natalie Portman auditioned for the role but was rejected due to her young age. However, the girl auditioned again after some time and gave such a performance that Luc Besson never doubted the actress's talent again and cast her as Matilda.
- The potted plant that the main characters constantly carry around is called aglaonema. In English, the word is pronounced “ag-leon-ema.”
- A funny incident occurred during filming. A criminal robbed a store and fled with the loot through the streets. Suddenly, he ran into a film crew. Seeing a group of 'police officers,' he preferred to surrender immediately.
- The film Leon is watching in the cinema is 'Always Good Weather'.
- According to Patrice Ledoux, Luc Besson planned 'Leon' as filler. He had already begun work on 'The Fifth Element,' but filming was postponed due to Bruce Willis's schedule. Rather than disband the crew and lose momentum, Besson wrote 'Leon.' It took him 30 days to write the screenplay, and filming lasted 90 days.
- Natalie Portman stated that the scene where she dressed as Marilyn Monroe was inspired by a scene she saw in 'Wayne's World.' She admitted that at the time, she hadn't seen any films starring Monroe.
- The idea for the film came to Luc Besson while he was working on 'Nikita.' In the third act, the cleaner Victor (Jean Reno) deals with the aftermath of Nikita's failed mission. Besson saw unrealized potential in this character and decided to create a separate story based on him. The working title of the film was 'The Cleaner (or Purger)'.
- The phrase 'Pigs are better than people,' spoken by Jean Reno's character, is from Hayao Miyazaki's anime 'Porco Rosso.'
- The second shot (a long, panning shot moving down a New York street) could only have been achieved after studying the traffic light patterns, so the camera car could 'catch the green wave.'
- For the film's finale, composer Eric Serra wrote a piece called 'The Experience of Love.' However, they decided to use Sting’s 'The Shape of My Heart' instead. Serra then decided to use his track in the end credits of his next project, 'GoldenEye.' The main melody of the composition can be heard throughout that film.
- Rumors circulated that Luc Besson wrote a script for a sequel with Olivier Megaton in the director's chair and Natalie Portman as a grown-up Mathilda. Filming was constantly postponed while waiting for Portman to reach the appropriate age. Meanwhile, Besson left Gaumont to create his own film studio, EuropaCorp. Gaumont executives, unhappy with Besson’s departure, refused to give him the rights to 'Léon.'
- This is the second film featuring Gary Oldman that was filmed at the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York. The first film was 'Sid and Nancy.'
- Stansfield's service revolver is a Smith & Wesson 629 Snub Nose Combat .44 Magnum. Only 5,000 units of this weapon were produced in the late 1980s.
- Sameer Naseri appears in a tiny role as a special forces operative. He spent only 10 days on set, but impressed Luc Besson so much that the director wrote the script for 'Taxi' specifically for the actor.
- The scene where Mathilda and Leon's protagonist lie on the bed, and Mathilda discusses sex, was not included in the American version of the film.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
