FILM · 2001
Blow
31 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (31)
- #001
The real George Jung was released from prison on June 2, 2014, to live at a rehabilitation facility in San Francisco. He had been due for release in November, but was let out early after fulfilling his plea bargain by testifying against his accomplices.
- #002
According to the director's commentary, the tape George Jung leaves for his father near the end of the film is an exact copy of the tape the real George Jung recorded under similar circumstances.
- #003
Johnny Depp interviewed the real George Jung in prison to prepare for the role.
- #004
Director Ted Demme died less than a year later while playing basketball. A post-mortem toxicology test showed cocaine in his body.
- #005
The actors snorted milk powder during the cocaine scenes.
- #006
Rachel Griffiths plays Ermine Jung (George's mother). The actress is five years younger than Johnny Depp (George).
- #007
Ray Liotta, who plays George's (Johnny Depp's) father, was only eight years older than Depp.
- #008
Various Colombian characters call Pablo Escobar "El Padrino" (Spanish for "The Godfather"). George Jung, trying to fit in, repeatedly calls him "El Padrone" ("padrone" means "boss" in Italian).
- #009
In the scene where Ray Liotta asks Johnny Depp where he found the money to pay for Franka Potente's wedding ring, Johnny Depp says: "Construction." This is a reference to GoodFellas (1990), in which Lorraine Bracco asks Ray Liotta how he can pay everyone with twenty-dollar bills and why he knows everyone so well, and Ray Liotta later replies: "Construction."
- #010
It is based on Bruce Porter's 1993 book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All.
- #011
In an interview with comedian Gilbert Gottfried at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, director Barry Levinson recounted that he first entered show business in 1968 when he reluctantly accompanied his friend George to an acting class. As Levinson grew more interested in the class, his friend's interest waned, and the two eventually lost touch when Levinson moved elsewhere to be closer to the film and television industry. Although he knew at the time that George was selling marijuana, Levinson had no idea what had become of his friend until he saw this film and learned he had become America's biggest cocaine dealer. The two reunited after Jung's release from prison in 2015, when Jung told Levinson that he had watched him at the Oscars while he was incarcerated.
- #012
In the closing scene, Kristina claims that she never visited George in prison, though there have since been unverified reports that the two reconciled. She is even credited as "Clerk," although her scene did not make the final cut.
- #013
The film takes place in 1955, 1968, 1969, 1976, 1980, 1987, 1990 and 1994.
- #014
Although Emma Roberts attended the premiere, she did not see the film until about six years after its release.
- #015
George Jung died on May 9, 2021, in his hometown of Weymouth, Massachusetts. He was 78. He is believed to have died of liver and kidney failure.
- #016
Besides being a cocaine smuggler, Carlos Lehder (Diego Delgado in the film) was an avowed Neo-Nazi and, according to police records, founded the National Latin Movement, whose aim was to break Colombia's agreement with the United States. He saw cocaine not merely as a product but as a weapon that could destroy the United States by causing chaos and undermining the political system. Lehder helped revolutionize Medellín Cartel smuggling by introducing the use of small low-flying planes to smuggle far larger quantities of cocaine across borders. Previously, the Medellín Cartel had relied on drug couriers to smuggle the product on commercial flights.
- #017
It was the first film for both Emma Roberts and Jo Price.
- #018
Derek Foreal (Paul Reubens) was based on the real-life drug lord and later George Jung associate Richard Barile. He died in 2011.
- #019
While George and Diego share a cell in prison, George is seen lying on the top bunk reading a paperback. The book is "Hell's Angels" by Hunter S. Thompson, the author Depp had previously played in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998).
- #020
Before appearing in this film, Paul Reubens had made an anti-crack PSA in character as Pee-Wee Herman, which drew criticism from anti-drug organizations.
- #021
George's smuggling partner Diego (Jordi Molla) is largely based on Pablo Escobar's partner Carlos Lehder Rivas.
- #022
Emma Roberts said she couldn't believe she was working with Johnny Depp as an adult.
- #023
Emma Roberts was 9 years old during filming.
- #024
This was Franka Potente's first English-language film.
- #025
The scene in which Mirtha yells at George about not having money is almost exactly the same as the scene years earlier in which Ermine yells at Fred about money.
- #026
Denis Leary was originally cast as Derek Foreal. He is credited as a producer in the titles.
- #027
While in California in the late 1960s, George Jung briefly served in the Army National Guard.
- #028
Although it is Penélope Cruz's second billing, Mirtha does not appear in the film until an hour in.
- #029
Ray Liotta and Rachel Griffiths, who play husband and wife, share the same birthday of December 18.
- #030
Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz would go on to star together in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
- #031
Surprisingly, both Blow and Heartbreakers were filmed at the Millennium Biltmore hotel in Los Angeles. Both films also starred Ray Liotta.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- IMDb IMDb kaydı
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work