The Insider/Trivia

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Dawson Casting: Inverted in that Russell Crowe was 34 when the movie was made, while the real Jeffrey Wigand was 52 when the original scandal happened.
  • Dyeing for Your Art: Crowe gained weight and shaved his head for a wig.
  • Fake American: Australian Russell Crowe, Canadian Christopher Plummer, and Brit Michael Gambon (as B&W boss Thomas Sandefur).
  • Playing Against Type: Russell Crowe, who is best known for playing heroic, violent badasses, as a timid and uncharismatic scientist.