A History of Violence - actors, characters and roles
All actors and their roles in the film "A History of Violence"
A History of Violence (2005)
Timing:
1:36 (96 min)
7.165/10
3672
3672
6.922/10
40938
40938
7.4/10
272000
272000
Actors and characters
Gerry Quigley
Character Mick
Deborah Drakeford
Character Charlotte
Michelle McCree
Character Jenny Wyeth
Ian Matthews
Character Ruben
Martha Reilly
Character Shoe Saleswoman
Bruce Beaton
Character Richie's Thug
Brendan Connor
Character Local TV Reporter
Nick Antonacci
Character Local TV Reporter
John Watson
Character Baseball Coach
Brittany Payer
Character Motel Girl
Mitch Boughs
Character Kid in Diner
George King
Character Hospital Well-Wisher
What's left behind the scenes
- Filming of the picture took place in the homeland of director David Cronenberg, in Canada. The town of Millbrook in Ontario province served as the fictional American city of Millbrook, Indiana; scenes of the film taking place in Philadelphia were shot in Toronto.
- One of the most expensive and brutal scenes in the film – Tom Stall’s dream in which he kills Carl Fogarty – was not included in the final cut. The director considered it an inappropriate reference to his previous works. This scene, with commentary from Cronenberg, was included in the DVD release.
- All scenes in Tom’s diner were filmed on a soundstage at 'Toronto Film' studio. Thus, both the diner itself and the street visible through the windows and glass door are all sets.
- David Cronenberg decided to cast Viggo Mortensen in the role of Tom/Joey after seeing him as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy and in the bonus materials for those films. The director was simply amazed by the discrepancy between the actor’s unassuming appearance in real life and the powerful image of a cold-blooded fighter he created on screen.
- Viggo Mortensen himself purchased much of the props for the diner and the Stall family home during his trip to the American Midwest. This helped him to better understand the essence of his character.
- To master Joey's Philadelphia accent, Viggo Mortensen spent hours talking with Maria Bello's uncle and brother, residents of Philadelphia.
- William Hurt was on set for only 5 days.
- Steven McHattie and Greg Bryk, who played the bandits Leland and Billy, being big fans of the Stanislavski system, independently developed backstories for their characters. According to their version, Leland and Billy are, respectively, uncle and nephew. Leland was released from prison about a year and a half ago, went to visit his family, met Billy, and decided he needed to show him the world.
- On Billy's t-shirt, we see an advertisement for the pool hall "Night Owl." This is a reference to Curtis Hanson's famous crime thriller "L.A. Confidential" (1997), the plot of which revolves around murders in the "Night Owl" cafe.
- The scene in which Billy points a gun at a little girl is a quote from Sergio Leone’s legendary Western "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968). The scene copies the famous episode in which Frank points a revolver at the last surviving member of the McBain clan, also a child, but immediately after that, instead of a train whistle, a piercing scream from the Stollows' daughter is heard.
- In the original screenplay, the gangsters were representatives of Italian-American mafia. However, after Ed Harris and William Hurt were cast as Carl Fogarty and Richie Cusack respectively, David Cronenberg decided to make the gangsters Irish, as he felt that Harris and Hurt would not be able to convincingly play Italians.
- The film is based on the 1997 graphic novel A History of Violence by John Wagner and Vince Locke.
- The number of people killed in the film is 13.
- In the original screenplay, as in the original comic book, Joey and Richie were just old friends. However, David Cronenberg decided to heighten the dramatic tension and make them brothers.
- As is often the case, the American version of the film differs from the international version in having less gore – this specifically concerns two shots: when we see the face of the dying thug Carl Fogarty, whose nose Joey smashed; and when Joey breaks the neck of one of Richie Cusack's thugs with his foot.
- All the scenes in Tom’s diner were filmed on the Toronto Film Studios backlot. Thus, both the diner itself and the street visible through the windows and glass door are sets.
- David Cronenberg decided to cast Viggo Mortensen in the role of Tom/Joey after seeing him as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and in the supplementary materials to those films. The director was simply amazed by the discrepancy between the actor’s unassuming appearance in real life and the powerful image of a cold-blooded fighter he created on screen.
- On Billy's t-shirt, we see an advertisement for the pool hall "Night Owl." This is a reference to Curtis Hanson's famous neo-noir crime thriller "L.A. Confidential" (1997), whose plot revolves around murders at the "Night Owl" café.
- The episode in which Billy points a gun at a little girl is a quote from Sergio Leone's legendary Western "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968). The scene copies the famous episode in which Frank points a revolver at the last surviving member of the McBain clan, also a child, only immediately afterward, instead of a train whistle, a piercing scream from the Stollows' daughter is heard.
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