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FILM · 2017 · AE

The Circle

21 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

21 Interesting Facts About The Circle

Interesting Facts (18)

  1. #001

    The film adaptation was significantly changed for the ending. In the novel, Mae, who fully believes in The Circle's goals and mantras, betrays Ty in an attempt to bring down the company, and Ty is effectively silenced.

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  2. #002

    Reshoots intended to make Emma Watson's character more appealing were done four months before release, but test audiences reacted even worse than they had at earlier test screenings.

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  3. #003

    The scene in which Annie video-calls Mae was shot by Karen Gillan's team while Gillan was making her feature film The Party's Just Beginning (2018) in Scotland.

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  4. #004

    The Circle's logo was created before Uber's redesign, even though the two look very similar.

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  5. #005

    The Circle's headquarters closely resembles Apple Park, Apple's new campus, which was scheduled to open shortly after the film's premiere.

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  6. #006

    Although The Circle's campus is computer-generated in wide shots, most of the exterior scenes were shot at or around the Bandshell in Playa Vista Central Park. The area was once part of the Hughes Aircraft complex and still contains some of its original buildings.

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  7. #007

    The film did not receive a theatrical release in the United Kingdom and instead went directly to the Netflix streaming service.

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  8. #008

    The auditorium scenes were shot at the Haugh Performing Arts Center at Citrus Community College in Glendora, California.

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  9. #009

    The two references to Soylent are not references to the film Soylent Green (1973). Soylent is a meal-replacement drink popular in the tech industry.

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  10. #010

    Tom Hanks and Bill Paxton worked together for the first time since Apollo 13 (1995).

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  11. #011

    It received a very rare "D+" CinemaScore. [Variety 2017].

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  12. #012

    In Tom Hanks's character's first speech, he reveals that the cameras are called SeeChange. The scene immediately cuts to a concert featuring the singer Beck, one of whose most famous albums is titled Sea Change.

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  13. #013

    This is the second time Tom Hanks has starred in an adaptation of a Dave Eggers novel. The first was A Hologram for the King (2016).

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  14. #014

    The idea of mandatory voting comes up at the board meeting. In the former Soviet Union, voting was compulsory and candidates for office were pre-selected by local Communist Party votes (one candidate per office). As a result, most candidates received nearly 100% of the vote.

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  15. #015

    The opening bridge shot is the Dumbarton Bridge in Northern California, near Silicon Valley. The fake image of the Circle building is located at the Coyote Point recreation park.

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  16. #016

    The Circle logo on the backs of its devices is shown occasionally lighting up during use, similar to the Apple logo on Apple MacBooks that became a trademark of Apple devices.

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  17. #017

    Glenn Headly plays Mae's mother, Bonnie, whose surname is Holland. She had previously played a character with the same surname, Iris Holland, in Mr. Holland's Opus.

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  18. #018

    The Circle is the fifth feature-length film directed by James Ponsoldt.

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Characters & Cast (2)

  1. #019

    The lead role of Mae was first offered to Alicia Vikander, who said it was one of three roles offered to her at the same time, alongside Maria in Assassin's Creed (2016) and Heather in Jason Bourne (2016). She chose Bourne because of the fan factor, which led the producers to go with their second choice, Emma Watson.

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  2. #020

    As Mae runs after Annie, one of the messages sent by viewers reads "Run, Mae, Run!" — echoing the famous line from star Tom Hanks's film Forrest Gump (1994).

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Deeper Meaning (1)

  1. #021

    Bill Paxton and Glenne Headly, who played Mae's parents, both died in the year the film was released. Paxton died on February 25, two months before the film's release, from complications following heart surgery, and Headly died on June 8, less than two months after the release, from a pulmonary embolism.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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