FILM · 2017 · USA
The Florida Project
23 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
23 Interesting Facts About The Florida Project
Interesting Facts (11)
- #001
Most of The Florida Project was shot on 35mm, but director Sean Baker admitted to "guerrilla filmmaking techniques" for the final scene, which was shot on an iPhone and includes footage taken inside Walt Disney World without the park's knowledge or permission.
- #002
For the scene where Halley and Moonee sell perfume to tourists, the actors approached real passersby and tried to sell them actual perfume; after each take, crew members ran after the tourists to get them to sign releases so the footage could be used.
- #003
Willem Dafoe spent a week on location before filming to soak up the characters' world and get the regional accent right.
- #004
Brooklynn Prince (Moonee) thought they'd never get her crying scene, and was surprised herself when the tears came on cue; it was done in one continuous take, after which she and the crew immediately cried on each other's shoulders.
- #005
When Moonee and Jancey share bread and jelly, their dialogue comes straight from the Little Rascals/Our Gang short The First Round-Up (1934).
- #006
In one scene Halley and her daughter watch a show in their room: Greg the Bunny (2002), which writer-director Sean Baker co-created.
- #007
The Paradise Inn, formerly the Futureland Inn, no longer has its iconic rockets out front.
- #008
Twistee Treat, the abandoned doctor's office and the abandoned vacation homes have since been torn down.
- #009
The motel is a real one in Kissimmee, Florida. It became a draw because of the film before closing in 2022, later reopening as the Developer Inn Highway, and its lobby has a mural about its part in the film.
- #010
Sean Baker usually encourages his casts to improvise, but it didn't work at all with the kids, who tended to wander far off script.
- #011
The idea came to co-writer Chris Bergoch when he noticed lots of young children playing in motel parking lots while visiting his mother in Orlando.
Production Story (4)
- #012
The helicopters flying overhead were written into the script because the production couldn't afford to keep them away.
- #013
Chelcie Lynn, who had worked with Sean Baker on "Tangerine" (2015), was originally cast in "The Florida Project," but the budget couldn't stretch to flying her to the location, so the part was reworked or cut.
- #014
At $3 million, it was Sean Baker's most expensive film up to that point.
- #015
Sean Baker originally meant to make this after his low-budget Starlet (2012), but that film didn't open as many doors as he'd hoped. What put The Florida Project (2017) back on the table was the success of Tangerine (2015), which he shot on an iPhone for just $100,000.
Behind the Scenes (4)
- #016
In a 2017 BBC radio interview, the director said the film's garish motels were real ones that kept running as businesses during filming, and some actual residents and staff appear in the film.
- #017
Much of the children's dialogue and interaction was improvised by the young actors as they played together.
- #018
The scenes with the three sandhill cranes at the motel entrance, including the one where a bird stretches out its leg, weren't planned; reportedly the birds came every day and tapped on the lobby window.
- #019
Sean Baker had earlier directed a promotional film for the fashion label Kenzo, where he met cinematographer Alexis Zabe.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #020
Sean Baker found Bria Vinaite, his lead, on Instagram.
- #021
Apart from veteran Willem Dafoe, the cast was made up entirely of first-timers and inexperienced actors: writer-director Sean Baker found Valeria Cotto at Target, and Christopher Rivera was living in a local motel.
Life & Family (2)
- #022
When the crew spotted him, Christopher Rivera was an 8-year-old living with his mother at the Paradise Inn in Kissimmee, Florida. He earned enough from the film for the family to move from the motel into an apartment, and after its release he was offered a full scholarship to Rollins College, a four-year private college in Winter Park, Florida, with ongoing educational support to get him ready for university.
- #023
In the original script, Willem Dafoe's Bobby had a brother who helped out at the motel, but as shooting went on the parent-child theme came into focus and the brother became a son; Caleb Landry Jones was cast just two weeks before his scenes were filmed.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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