“THE DESCENDANTS” TRIVIA

 

• In the movie Matt and his family own a piece of Hawaii that had been in the family since the 1860s. In real life there is actually a Hawaiian island called Niihau that has been run by the same family since they bought it in 1863.
• Filming took place in Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA  and Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA
• Amanda Seyfried auditioned for the part of the older daughter.
• The running time of The Descendants is 115 min
• George Clooney wanted to play the role of 'Jack' in Sideways, Alexander Payne's last film. Payne turned him down, saying that he wanted someone lesser known for the role.

• The premiere of The Descendants was in the USA on 2 September 2011 at the Telluride Film Festival.
• In it’s first weekend in the US, showing on 29 Screens from 20 November 2011, The Descendants grossed $1,190,096.
• On 12 January 2012, The Descendants started screening in Australia and Israel.
• George Clooney and Judy Greer previously starred together in Three Kings.

• In the final scene the voice coming from the television set belongs to Morgan Freeman narrating  March of the Penguins (2005).
• Although the names sound similar, the character Julie Speer was not named after the actress Judy Greer, who plays her.
• First major film role for Shailene Woodley, best known for her role on TV's The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
• In a scene in the novel, Scottie is described to be wearing a shirt with the words "Mrs. Clooney" on it. George Clooney plays the character's father in the movie.

• Kaui Hart Hemmings:  The author of the book that the movie is based upon 'appears' in the movie on the phone as Brian's assistant, Noe.
• In the Golden Globes 2012, The Descendants won  Best Motion Picture – Drama - Jim Taylor, Alexander Payne  and Jim Burke. Also Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture –  George Clooney.
• It was also Nominated for Best Director - Motion Picture  Alexander Payne, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Shailene Woodley and Best Screenplay - Motion Picture Jim Rash, Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne