Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Short description
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind tells the story of Chuck Barris, a television producer behind hit game shows in the 1960s and 1970s, who claimed in his own memoir that he led a second life as a hired killer for the CIA. Recruited during a low point in his career, he is trained as an operative while continuing to build his television reputation, and the film follows the strain of keeping the two lives apart as his professional fortunes and his secret work both turn dangerous.
The film is based on Barris's autobiography and was written by Charlie Kaufman. It was directed by George Clooney and was the first feature he directed, ahead of Good Night, and Good Luck. and the films that followed. Sam Rockwell plays Barris, with Drew Barrymore as his girlfriend Penny, Julia Roberts as the agent Patricia Watson, Rutger Hauer as Keeler, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Debbie, and Clooney himself as the CIA recruiter Jim Byrd.
Released in 2002, the film had a budget of about 30 million dollars and took roughly 33 million dollars worldwide. It holds a 7/10 rating on IMDb from around 95,000 votes and a 6.7/10 on TMDB from about 1,300 votes, while critics rated it 7.4/10 across 163 reviews, placing it above the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Realizing he had forgotten to rent the crane necessary for filming a key scene, director George Clooney ordered the lock to be cut from the building of a vault adjacent to the studio in Florida where filming was taking place, and 'borrowed' the necessary equipment from the crew of another film. When this became known and the director of that film raised a fuss, threatening to call the police, Clooney sent him a check for $20,000 with a note stating that this amount should be enough to pay for a short-term crane rental and to compensate for the expenses incurred on the previous film of that director, which turned out to be a failure.
- The CIA denies that Chuck Barris was ever an agent of the American intelligence agency.
- Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore worked on the film for a symbolic fee of $250,000 as a favor to their friend, director George Clooney, who was forced to operate on a limited budget of $30 million. Brad Pitt and Matt Damon appeared in cameo roles for free.
- In his directorial debut, George Clooney made two references to his aunt, actress and singer Rosemary Clooney. On the seventh minute, during a tour of the NBC studio, the guide mentions that her favorite show is “The Lux Show” featuring Rosemary Clooney, and the closing credits roll to her song “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”
- When Chuck Barris gets a job at NBC, he fills out an application on which is written “National Broadcasting Corporation” instead of “National Broadcasting Company.”
- Initially, Nicole Kidman auditioned for the role of Patricia Watson, but she chose to film *The Hours* instead.
- Darren Aronofsky and then Brian Singer were originally slated to direct the film.
- Twice during the film, Chuck lights a cigarette with the filter end (ignites the cigarette filter). The first time this happens is when he is in his office with his secretary, according to the credits, in Los Angeles in 1967. And the second time – in Helsinki in 1967, in a car with Bird and Simon Oliver.
- Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey, John Cusack, and Johnny Depp were all in negotiations to star in this film. They were all considered for the role of Chuck Barris.
- Sam Rockwell met with Chuck Barris himself, whose image he portrayed on screen, and at the actor's request, Barris read all the lines aloud, allowing Rockwell to capture the nuances of Barris's conversational speech.
- The film draws parallels with a popular conspiracy theory surrounding the assassination of US President John Kennedy. Two cadets at a training camp are named “Ruby” and “Oswald.” Upon completing training, Barris says goodbye to someone named “Jack” and “Lee.” Thus, the filmmakers hint that the protagonist was learning the trade of an assassin alongside Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
