Amazing Grace

In the scene where William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) sings "Amazing Grace" in the card house, the song was performed live by Gruffudd. A playback track had been used in several earlier takes, but in the final film the singer was Gruffudd. Director Michael Apted had no idea whether Gruffudd could actually sing; he did not know that Gruffudd was an accomplished soloist and choir singer. After some practice, Gruffudd performed for the first time on set with the cameras rolling, which surprised the cast, crew and director considerably.

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In the conversation between Thomas Clarkson (Rufus Sewell) and William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), the question is raised of how one can remain loyal to a King who shakes hands with an oak tree and sees Germany through his telescope. According to contemporary belief about history and scientific research, the quote spoken by Clarkson is likely a reference to King George III, who is known to have suffered from porphyria, probably caused by the use of arsenic.

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William Wilberforce's family line still exists today, and the name most recently appeared in news in the United Kingdom after Susan Wilberforce (Baroness de Stempel), a direct descendant of William, was tried in 1989 for killing her first husband. She was eventually acquitted and the murder was never solved.

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A special screening of this film was held in Buncrana, County Donegal, Ireland. This was to celebrate John Newton's connection to the county; in 1748 the slave ship "Greyhound" came ashore after surviving a terrible storm. This event began Newton's spiritual journey that led to his writing of the song "Amazing Grace".

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Most of the dialogue in the scenes set in the House of Commons is taken from real transcripts.

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Walden Media, a family-focused entertainment company, surprised director Michael Apted by not being interested in portraying Wilberforce as a young leader. Despite his appearance in the Fantastic Four film series, they initially opposed the casting of Ioan Gruffudd. Apted placated them by ensuring the other roles were filled with experienced actors.

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The development of this film took two years.

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Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds and Toby Jones appeared in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011).

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Ioan Gruffudd, Stephen Campbell Moore and Toby Jones appeared in a film about the R.M.S. Titanic. Gruffudd appeared in James Cameron's Titanic (1997), and Moore and Jones in the miniseries Titanic (2012).

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Sylvestra Le Touzel and Nicholas Farrell, who played Mr and Mrs Thornton, played Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram in the 1983 version of Mansfield Park.

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Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Jones also worked together on Sherlock.

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