Million Dollar Baby - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[lonnie]

Jerry Boyd (a.k.a. author F.X. Toole) died a month after learning that Clint Eastwood had signed on to make a movie out of his work.

[christina]

Clint Eastwood based his character's voice on Producer Al Ruddy.

[frances]

Morgan Freeman was originally approached to play the role of Frankie Dunn. But even before Clint Eastwood took on directing and starring roles, he decided to take the part of Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris.

[kim]

According to "Variety", the cost was actually closer to eighteen million dollars instead of the reported thirty million dollars (the amount that was used for publicity reasons).

[christina]

"Mo chuisle" literally means "my pulse", but can mean "my love" or "my darling". It's a term of endearment taken from the original phrase "A chuisle mo chroí", or "Pulse of my heart".

[albert]

Hilary Swank's Best Actress Oscar winning performance was the only nominee in the category in a Best Picture nominee that year.

[lynn]

Probably one of the key features to this movie being such a success was that no one had divulged the gutpunch twist that occurs towards the end of the movie, taking it in a whole new direction. People were going to see what they thought was a female boxing movie, and coming out overwhelmed by having seen a searing account of euthanasia.

[caroline]

Producer Al Ruddy received his second Best Picture award for this movie. The first, for The Godfather (1972), was presented to him by Clint Eastwood.

[phyllis]

One of three Warner Brothers movies in a row where the Best Picture winner co-starred Morgan Freeman. The other two are Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Unforgiven (1992). The Departed (2006) was the first Warner Brothers Best Picture Oscar without Morgan Freeman since Amadeus (1984).

[eli]

Theatrical movie debut of Mike Colter (Big Willie Little).

[violet]

The movie was filmed in thirty-seven days, but originally scheduled filming for thirty-nine days.