Pay It Forward
Short description
Pay It Forward centres on Trevor McKinney, a twelve-year-old who takes a school assignment seriously. His social studies teacher, Eugene Simonet, asks the class to devise a plan that could make the world better, and Trevor comes up with a simple idea: do a significant favour for three people, and instead of repaying him, each of them should pass the kindness on to three others. The chain of good deeds spreads further than the boy expected, while his own attempts to help those closest to him reach his overworked mother, Arlene, his withdrawn teacher and a homeless man named Jerry.
Mimi Leder directed the film, which followed The Peacemaker and Deep Impact in her filmography and was written by Leslie Dixon. Kevin Spacey plays Eugene, Helen Hunt plays Arlene, and Haley Joel Osment plays Trevor, with Angie Dickinson, Jay Mohr and Jim Caviezel among the supporting cast. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures with Tapestry Films and Bel Air Entertainment, it cost around 40 million USD and took roughly 56 million USD worldwide.
Audience responses were warmer than critical ones: on IMDb it holds 7.2 out of 10 from about 129,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.4 out of 10 from over 2,000 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 5.6 out of 10 from 129 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- In the book by Catherine Ryan Hyde, the teacher was a Black man named Reuben St. Clair. This role was initially offered to Denzel Washington, but the actor had to decline due to commitments to other projects. When Kevin Spacey agreed to take his place, the character was changed to a white man named Eugene Simonet.
- The idea of the book and film was, to some extent, brought to life by the Pay it Forward Foundation, as well as through the activities of British public activist Jane Tuson and the Timebank charity she founded. Since the film's release in 2000, hundreds of teachers, entire schools, and universities in America and abroad have organized 'Pay It Forward' campaigns among students and achieved tangible results.
- The role of the Jaguar owner was played by the director Mimi Leder’s husband, Gary Werntz. His daughter, who suffers from asthma and ends up in the hospital, is their actual daughter.
- The bridge from which the girl was going to jump is the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, Oregon.
- When filming the scene where Trevor’s mother slaps him, Haley Joel Osment asked Helen Hunt to actually hit him to make it look as realistic as possible. However, director Mimi Leder categorically refused.
- In one of the initial scenes, when Trevor brings Jerry home and they have dinner together, Jerry piles a plate full of cereal for Trevor. In the next shot, when Trevor pours milk into the plate, it is only half full.
- Eugene Osment, the father of Haley Joel Osment, appears as a police officer giving instructions at the scene of the tragedy.
- Haley Joel Osment celebrated his twelfth birthday on one of the last days of filming. Although all scenes involving Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt had already been completed, they appeared on set to celebrate his birthday with him. Coincidentally, Haley Joel Osment's character, Trevor McKinney, also celebrates his twelfth birthday in the film.
- At the 76th minute, when Eugene approaches to talk to Trevor, he places his glasses next to the briefcase. At the 80th minute, when Trevor gets up and leaves, the glasses are already on the briefcase.
- The film is based on Katherine Ryan Hyde's novel "Pay it Forward" (1999).
- The license plate 2GAT123 appears remarkably often in films. In addition to "Pay it Forward," it can also be seen in "Beverly Hills Cop II" (1987), "L.A. Story" (1991), "Ecstasy" (1999), "Traffic" (2000), "Foolishly Beautiful" (2001), "Mulholland Drive" (2001), "S.W.A.T." (2003), and the series "Two and a Half Men" (2003).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
