FILM · 2000 · USA
Finding Forrester
14 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
14 Interesting Facts About Finding Forrester
Interesting Facts (7)
- #001
The facts Jamal discovers when he looks up Forrester's records on the school computer are Sir Sean Connery's real-life records.
- #002
(At about one hour and thirty minutes in) As Robert Crawford places the entries for the school writing contest on a table, some of the names listed as authors of the essays belong to members of the film's crew: James Pollard (dolly grip) and Joyce Tollefson (Mr. Connery's assistant), among others.
- #003
Jim Titus was in fact on set as an extra. Director Gus Van Sant and assistant director David Webb noticed him joking around with the actor playing his teacher and offered him a line in the film.
- #004
The stock footage of the housing projects in the Bronx was reused from the film Q&A (1990).
- #005
The scenes at Mailor-Callow School were shot at Regis High School in Manhattan, an all-scholarship high school on the Upper East Side.
- #006
In the scene where Busta Rhymes has dinner with his mother, he wears a Bushi T-shirt. Bushi was Busta's new clothing line.
- #007
The basketballs Jamal carries throughout the film bear the words "The Rock." Sir Sean Connery starred in "The Rock" (1996).
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #008
During filming it was discovered that Sir Sean Connery could not write. When you see Forrester's hands over the keys, they are someone else's hands.
Characters & Cast (5)
- #009
Rob Brown landed the role only after first auditioning as an extra. Brown had no ambition to become an actor and was only hoping to earn a little money to pay off a $300 cell phone bill. Director Gus Van Sant, however, invited him to audition for the role of Jamal and liked his natural talent.
- #010
The character Robert Crawford, played by F. Murray Abraham, was based on a real-life Robert Crawford who taught history at Phillips Academy Andover, a private school outside Boston.
- #011
Bill Murray was considered for the role of William Forrester.
- #012
The DVD contains two deleted choir scenes ("Lacrymosa" and "Lean On Me"). The trailer also includes a line by Jamal's mother ("Have you seen my son's backpack?") that was not used in the final film.
- #013
Director Gus Van Sant had previously directed the remake of Psycho (1960), which starred Janet Leigh. Busta Rhymes (Terrell) appeared in Halloween: Resurrection (2002), which featured Leigh's real-life daughter Jamie Lee Curtis.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #014
When Forrester comes to Mailor-Callow School to defend Jamal, Dr. Charles Bernstein (as Dr. Simon) is in the background. Dr. Bernstein is a real poet and professor of poetry at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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