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FILM · 2000

Pollock

16 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

16 Interesting Facts About Pollock

Interesting Facts (11)

  1. #001

    Ed Harris's father, Bob L. Harris, bought his son a book about Jackson Pollock because he thought Ed looked a lot like the painter. From then on, Ed Harris became fascinated by Pollock's life.

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  2. #002

    Bringing the project to the screen took Ed Harris more than 6 years.

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  3. #003

    The veterinarian who goes outside to examine the dog Pollock found injured on the road is played by Bob L. Harris, Ed Harris's father, who first gave Harris the idea of making a film about Pollock.

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  4. #004

    The shoot lasted only 50 days, with a six-week break after forty days so that Ed Harris could take the time to gain thirty kilos and grow a beard.

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  5. #005

    Ed Harris is often shown playing Pollock while painting, meaning he is actually painting. The many Pollock artworks displayed in galleries were created by five art department scene artists jokingly referred to as the 'Jackson Five'.

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  6. #006

    When Ed Harris falls off his bicycle as Pollock tries to return home with a case of beer in his hand, he can be seen looking at his hand as he gets up. In reality, Harris had injured his bleeding hand and had to get 5 stitches.

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  7. #007

    Ed Harris had to gain about 30 lbs to do the later scenes of the film, in which Jackson Pollock is an alcoholic.

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  8. #008

    Jack Nicholson was considered to play the role of Jackson Pollock.

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  9. #009

    Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly and Val Kilmer later appeared in Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Harris and Kilmer also appeared in Masked and Anonymous (2003); Harris and Connelly also appeared in A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Virginia (2010), both of which also featured Amy Madigan.

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  10. #010

    This was originally conceived as a vehicle for Robert De Niro and Barbra Streisand.

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  11. #011

    This is the second film in which Marcia Gay Harden and Jeffrey Tambor appeared together; the first was Meet Joe Black (1998).

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Characters & Cast (3)

  1. #012

    The lead role and the directing were so exhausting for Ed Harris that he collapsed on set and had to be briefly hospitalized.

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  2. #013

    Frances McDormand was initially considered for the female lead.

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  3. #014

    Judy Davis was considered for the role of Lee Krasner.

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Easter Eggs & References (1)

  1. #015

    Debbie Reynolds briefly appears as herself in a few shots; her face appears several times on the cover of the August 8, 1949 issue of "Life" magazine. It was her first cover for "Life". The actual cover of that issue was used for the shoot, but the pages of the Jackson Pollock article inside are reproductions of the original, with Ed Harris's image used in place of Pollock's.

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Deeper Meaning (1)

  1. #016

    Ed Harris painted all the live painting scenes seen in the film himself. The completed Pollock paintings were reproduced by a team of landscape artists.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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