FILM · 2008 · USA
Fool's Gold
13 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
13 Interesting Facts About Fool's Gold
Interesting Facts (11)
- #001
"Moe Fitch" is based on Mel Fisher, a treasure hunter whose Key West maritime museum houses gold and silver artifacts from Spanish treasure ships.
- #002
Production was delayed because an infestation of box jellyfish kept Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson out of the water.
- #003
Precious Gem is a 135-foot Sovereign yacht built in New Zealand and designed by Jack Sarin. Its real name is Kerri Lee. It rents for $70,000 a week and can accommodate up to 12 people.
- #004
The scene in which Tess slaps Finn after they leave the courthouse was filmed in front of the Queensland University of Technology Vice-Chancellor's Building, which sits above the city's botanical gardens.
- #005
Kenneth Lonergan rewrote this screenplay without being credited.
- #006
Tom Cruise initially considered playing in this project but chose Lions for Lambs (2007) instead.
- #007
While playing gin rummy, Nigel and Gemma play for a penny a point. At the end of the game Nigel owes Gemma $28,000, meaning he lost 2.8 million points to her.
- #008
Box jellyfish are found only off the northern coast of Australia. So their infestation could only have occurred where they actually filmed. And the mountain range backdrop is not available in the Caribbean. So it was actually filmed in Australia.
- #009
In 2005 Matthew McConaughey starred in Sahara as a character very similar to Finn, and he also has a kind of sidekick named Alfonz. In Sahara he was Dirk Pitt, he knew a lot of history and dove for treasure, and his sidekick was Al Giordino.
- #010
Kevin Hart, who plays a rapper named Bigg Bunny, was later voiced as a rabbit named Snowball in The Secret Life of Pets (2016) series.
- #011
Kate Hudson and Kevin Hart were both born in 1979 but are three months apart. Hudson was born on April 19, and Hart on July 6.
Production Story (1)
- #012
The opening of the film, in which they dive and the boat sinks, and many other shots in the film were actually filmed on Lizard Island in Far North Queensland. Box jellyfish in Australia delayed filming for this reason. They are seasonal in North Queensland. The bar scenes and the scenes where the Precious Gem anchors off Key West are also actually Port Douglas in Far North Queensland.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #013
At the start of the film, while Tess and Finn talk in front of the divorce court, Tess mentions running away from Florida because she wants to study; Finn tells her: "Bullsh*t." This is a reference to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), which ends with a similar situation; Matthew McConaughey's character says the same line when Kate Hudson's character tries to leave New York, arguing that she can only be a journalist in Washington after the breakup.
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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