FILM · 1996 · USA
Set It Off
34 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (34)
- #001
This was Queen Latifah's first leading role in a feature film and also her all-time favorite role.
- #002
John C. McGinley worked with a retired LAPD detective to prepare for the role of Detective Strode.
- #003
According to the documentary Set It Straight: The Making Of Set It Off, the film was shot in 39 days on a budget of 9 million dollars.
- #004
This was Kimberly Elise's first film. She was discovered by producer Dale Pollock at a restaurant where she was working as a waitress.
- #005
Rosie Perez was originally cast as Frankie Sutton. Vivica A. Fox initially auditioned to play T. T. Williams before ultimately being cast as Frankie. Fox was filming Independence Day (1996) at the time and was coached for the audition by her co-star Will Smith. Smith was then dating (and later married) Jada Pinkett Smith, who played Stoney Newsome.
- #006
In early drafts of the script, the character Stoney (Jada Pinkett Smith) was a crack addict. This was later removed from the script.
- #007
Jada Pinkett Smith wanted to play the role of Cleo, but the producers wanted her for the role of Stoney.
- #008
Dr. Dre made his film debut in this film as a gun dealer.
- #009
This was F. Gary Gray's second feature film. New Line Cinema chose him as director following the success of his previous film, Friday (1995).
- #010
Queen Latifah was the first choice to play Cleo.
- #011
Nearly half the budget was spent on the use of The Godfather's (1972) theme music.
- #012
Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah would reunite 21 years later in Girls Trip (2017) as close friends.
- #013
F. Gary Gray visited the set of Independence Day (1996) and asked Vivica A. Fox to read for the role of Frankie and audition.
- #014
During a 1999 interview with Terry Gross on the National Public Radio program "Fresh Air," Queen Latifah (Cleo) said that during Set It Off's theatrical run she would often sit in the back rows of commercial movie theaters to watch the film with regular audiences, and that in every case, at the scene where Cleo kisses another woman, audiences would react with audible disgust at seeing the two women kiss. Latifah added, however, that she thought audiences were nonetheless always ready to root for Cleo.
- #015
Brandy Norwood was offered the role of T. T. but turned it down.
- #016
This was Dr. Dre's first film.
- #017
The female characters' full names: Lida "Stoney" Newsome, Cleopatra "Cleo" Sims, Francesca "Frankie" Sutton and Tisean "T. T." Williams.
- #018
Regina King auditioned for the role of Frankie.
- #019
The film's soundtrack was widely acclaimed. It reached number 4 on the Billboard Chart. When the film premiered on Pay Per View, New Line Cinema gave a copy of the soundtrack to viewers who ordered The Long Kiss Goodnight, another film made by New Line.
- #020
Dr. Dre had his own high-speed chase with police in 1993, which lends a special "insider" meaning to his character's comments about helicopters during the high-speed chase in which Cleo is involved.
- #021
Blair Underwood was always F. Gary Gray's first choice to play Keith.
- #022
Jada Pinkett Smith was the first choice to play Stoney.
- #023
According to former New Line Cinema executive Helena Echegoyen, she watched Thelma & Louise (1991) and then brought the idea for this film to screenwriter Takashi Bufford, who wrote a 40-page script review.
- #024
The bankers' party scene was shot at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
- #025
Jada Pinkett Smith and Vivica A. Fox would later appear together in Kingdom Come (2001). In this film they play close friends, while in Kingdom Come they play family relatives.
- #026
Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas was reportedly interested in the role of Stoney.
- #027
The role of Frankie was initially offered to Rosie Perez, but she withdrew from the offer. The role of TT was initially offered to Vivica A. Fox, but when Rosie left they offered the role of Frankie to Vivica. Rapper Da Brat also auditioned for Cleo.
- #028
Queen Latifah filmed daytime scenes for the sitcom Living Single and scenes for this film at night.
- #029
This was Natalie Desselle Reid's debut.
- #030
Will Smith was Vivica A. Fox's acting coach on the film.
- #031
Tamara Clatterbuck, who plays Luther's girlfriend, appeared as a waitress in the 1992 A Different World (1987) episode titled White Christmas (1992). Jada Pinkett Smith also appeared on the series.
- #032
Producer F. Gary Gray planned to shoot parts of the film in the Watts projects, but decided to shoot in the San Fernando Valley for safety reasons. The housing project depicted in the film was actually shot at an apartment complex in Van Nuys. The apartment had to be decorated to look like a real housing project.
- #033
Darnell's (WC) six-shot revolver fires at least 7 times without reloading.
- #034
The four female bank robbers rob "Balboa Savings & Loan," a reference to Rocky Balboa. In the previous scene the four girls imitate the Pope. Sylvester Stallone, who played Rocky in the series, was initially considered for the role of Willi Cicci in The Godfather (1972).
Continue through the archive
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