Memoirs of a Geisha/Trivia

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Enforced Method Acting: Michelle Yeoh's unexpected exit, following "If you are found to be worthless...!" according to the director's commentary. They told her to leave the room after delivering the line, but Ziyi Zhang wasn't told that she would do so. It worked — after shouting in reply "I am not worthless!", she started crying before tearfully repeating the line to the now empty room.
  • Fake Nationality: The three lead actresses are Chinese; Ziyi had to not only learn English for the role, but learn to speak it with a Japanese accent. Some suggest that this carries a great deal of offensive and Unfortunate Implications for actual Japanese people in the audience.
    • While the actress who played the young Pumpkin is of Japanese origin, she lives in America and had to learn how to speak in an Japanese accent as well.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: Captain Stottlemeyer. Or if you prefer, Buffalo Bill.