FILM · 1991 · USA
Sleeping with the Enemy
27 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
19 Interesting Facts About Sleeping with the Enemy
- #001
When the film was shot in the spring of 1990, Julia Roberts was 22 years old and became the youngest actor to earn a seven-figure fee for a single performance.
- #002
Using the symphony by composer Hector Berlioz, one of his favorite pieces of music, as Martin Burney's music was Patrick Bergin's idea.
- #005
The husband's mental health condition is "perverse narcissistic disorder."
- #006
This film ended the 11-week run of Home Alone (1990) at the top of North American box office grosses. Both were produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
- #010
It is part of the early 1990s cycle of American Hollywood thriller-suspense films that includes various neo-noir, Hitchcock-style movies.
- #011
It was the last 20th Century Fox film to be released on VHS and on laserdisc from CBS/Fox Video.
- #012
A production photo showing the back of the Burneys' house built on a studio set can be found online. Although it is not shown in the film itself, for unknown reasons it appears on the cover of the 2009 DVD release.
- #013
The piece played from Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique was reworked mostly in the opening title sequence of The Shining (1980), the film for which it is best known.
- #015
(At about 1 hour 18 minutes) The carnival was called "Claude Powell's Super Carnival." Claude F. Powell worked as a construction coordinator in the Art Department on this film.
- #016
Because of its cult status in India, the film was remade three times in Bollywood, first as Yaraana (1995) and then as Daraar (1996) and Agni Sakshi (1996), both of which were released the following year. Among the three, Agni Sakshi was the most successful thanks to the bold approach and realistic performances of its main cast; the first two did only average to below-average business at the box office.
- #018
The small sailboat was named "DAY DREAM."
- #019
Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin did some of the rewriting of the title without being credited.
- #020
At around the 37-minute mark, the song Ben sings when we first meet him is the musical prologue of West Side Story (1961), followed by "Jet Song."
- #021
John Cusack was offered the role of Ben.
- #022
At around 1 hour 27 minutes, near the end of the film, Symphonie Fantastique is played again. The settings on the graphic equalizer of Laura's portable cassette player resemble the notes of the 13th-century hymn Dies Irae, on which Hector Berlioz based Symphonie Fantastique.
- #023
At around 1 hour 30 minutes, while Cedar Falls, Iowa, does have a Tremont Street, the 408 address Laura reports to 911 does not exist.
- #024
This is the first of two concurrent thrillers starring Kevin Anderson released in 1991; the other is Liebestraum (1991).
- #025
After fleeing, the main character Laura goes to Sara's place. In the novel the situation is reversed. Her real name is Sara, but she calls herself Laura.
- #026
Star Julia Roberts has two character names in this film: Sara Waters and Laura Burney (full name: Laura Williams Burney).
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