FILM · 2005 · UK
The Constant Gardener
21 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
21 Interesting Facts About The Constant Gardener
Interesting Facts (15)
- #001
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- #005
Star Ralph Fiennes said about Big Pharma: "There are huge questions about Big Pharma. [Director] Fernando [Meirelles] gave me some background material, including the series 'Dying for Drugs.' Companies don't have to disclose much information about how they test or produce their drugs. There's big, big money involved in developing, patenting and marketing a new drug; there's no doubt the pharmaceutical industry has one of the strongest lobbies in America. I'm sure there are companies in the United States that want to produce good, effective drugs at reasonable prices, but many people want and need to ask hard questions about the industry as a whole."
- #006
Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, a molecular biologist and former professor at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine who lived in a Nairobi suburb in Kenya at the time of filming and where part of the film was shot, vouched for the accuracy of the film's plot. She commented: "I was quite struck by the parallels with things I experienced in my professional life. The lobbying by international organizations and the amount of money channeled into cover-ups ring true to me. I hope the murder aspect of the story is not like real life, but if there's big money involved…".
- #007
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Screenwriter Jeffrey Caine said about Big Pharma: "I don't expect The Constant Gardener (2005) to change the behavior of international pharmaceutical companies. At best, it can draw viewers' attention to some common practices of Big Pharma and in some way help create an environment for more responsible behavior. For me, the most important thing is that the film should show the nature of commitment."
- #010
In a deleted scene seen in the DVD extras, Swedish actress Pernilla August plays an employee of a Canadian company responsible for drug research. Her character gives Justin Quayle information that leads him to Dr. Lorbeer. A few minutes after doing so, she is killed in a mysterious hit-and-run car accident.
- #011
- #012
Fernando Meirelles replaced Mike Newell as director of the film. Newell was originally set to direct but left the film after he was coincidentally offered Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), which also starred actor Ralph Fiennes.
- #013
A private house in a Nairobi suburb was used as the home of Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) and Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz). It belonged to the mother of the film's wardrobe supervisor, Elizabeth Glaysher, who grew up there. Her mother Sonia had previously worked on a film shot in Kenya; she was Ava Gardner's stand-in on John Ford's Mogambo (1953). Sonia's gardener, Celia Hardy, was Ralph Fiennes's "gardening coach." Apart from some flowering plants added by the production design team for color and texture, Justin Quayle's on-screen garden was the result of Celia's year-round handiwork.
- #014
Director Fernando Meirelles said of the film: "The chance to take on part of the pharmaceutical industry was only one of three elements that made me want to direct The Constant Gardener (2005). Another was the chance to shoot in Kenya — the choice. It is also fundamentally a very original love story; a man marries a young woman and, after she dies, he truly falls in love with her and begins to search for her. It's a beautiful story, and for that reason it is existential."
- #015
Marcus Lorbeer's baseball cap bears a yellow equals sign (=) inside a blue square. This is the logo of the Human Rights Campaign, a non-profit organization that lobbies for equal rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It is the largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization in the United States.
Production Story (1)
- #016
According to the film's 2005 production notes, "some pharmaceutical companies repeatedly cite the high costs of the research and development (R&D) and clinical trials they must undertake to bring a new product to market in order to justify their pricing and the close protection of patents. Observers say that drug companies rarely cover these R&D costs themselves, instead benefiting from publicly funded research and then protecting the results. Many have voiced doubts about the industry's claimed figure of 800 million US dollars. Pointing to the disparity between drug manufacturers' R&D and marketing budgets, we argue that this is what is needed to bring a new drug to market. The second point is where the big money is really allocated."
Characters & Cast (3)
- #017
Danny Huston, who played Sandy Woodrow, the head of chancery at the British High Commission, said: "Modern diplomacy is all about business and trying to promote commercial ventures. I also had a meeting in London with two gentlemen whose names will remain secret because they work for [British intelligence agencies] MI5 and MI6. The more time I spent with them, the more I felt they actually resembled the people portrayed in the book. A wonderful way of not answering a question you ask them."
- #018
Star and lead actress Rachel Weisz said of the film's shoot: "There's nothing against South Africa, but the Kenyan landscape has a spirit of its own and you can't try to imitate that somewhere else. I can't separate Kenya from the story or the story from Kenya. Also, what matters is that we help the existing infrastructure so that more films can be shot there in the future."
- #019
Eva Green was originally cast as Tessa Quayle but had to leave the cast due to other commitments. Kate Winslet, Sienna Miller, Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman auditioned to replace her.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #020
Actor Ralph Fiennes and producer Simon Channing Williams recalled shooting in Kenya, Africa. Fiennes said: "[Director] Fernando [Meirelles] was very keen to combine African images, colors and faces. When I was first told he would direct, I hoped he would make Africa a cornerstone of the film, and he did." Meirelles's "Third World Perspective" also ensured that a large part of the cast, as well as the hundreds of extras used in the shoot, were African. Kenyan citizens appear in about three dozen speaking roles in the film. Moreover, the British crew was joined by over seventy Kenyan crew members represented from all departments, as well as drivers, caterers, location rental staff and workers. Channing Williams said: "All these people on both sides of the camera were there; these jobs and roles should have been theirs, and they were. There's an incredible pool of talent in Kenya, and I hope our presence there can, in a small way, help alert others to what's on offer."
Career & Awards (1)
- #021
Two actresses who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar worked on the film. Rachel Weisz won the Oscar for her performance as Tessa Quayle in this film. Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o worked as a production coordinator during the shoot in Kenya. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 12 Years a Slave (2013).
Related pages
- Skyfall — The Constant Gardener comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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