FILM · 1994 · USA
The Specialist
33 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (33)
- #001
Sharon Stone was 36 years old when The Specialist was shot, but her character was supposed to be in her early twenties.
- #002
While filming the shower scene with Sharon Stone, Sylvester Stallone said: "Okay. For the record, I didn't want to do this scene because Sharon was not cooperating. We get to the set and she decides she's not taking off her robe. The director wants only a few of the crew to stay, but she still won't take it off. I promised her I would never give her any freedom whatsoever, so what's the problem? She said, 'I'm just tired of it. The nudity.' I asked her if she'd get tired of it in someone else's movie. There was none, so I went to my trailer, brought back a bottle of Black Death vodka that Michael Douglas gave me, and after half a dozen shots we were wet and crazy."
- #003
According to Eric Roberts, the scene in which Tomas threatens Ray with a knife was written at the last minute by Sylvester Stallone so that the two could share a scene. Sixteen years later, Stallone and Roberts got the chance to play hero and villain in The Expendables (2010).
- #004
Eric Roberts is only two years older than Sharon Stone. In the film, his character is believed to have killed his parents when he was a child.
- #005
Steven Seagal was offered the chance to star in and direct this film, but he asked for nine million dollars to do it. The studio did not want to pay him that much and offered the part to Sylvester Stallone instead.
- #006
David Fincher was at one point ready to direct this. Sylvester Stallone liked Fincher but was overruled by the producers, because Fincher's career was still in deep freeze after the failure of Alien³ (1992) and could not be revived until the enormous success of Seven (1995).
- #007
In his autobiography, Roger Moore stated that he was offered a role in the film but turned the offer down. He also wrote in the book that after seeing the finished product he was "glad" he had not taken the role.
- #008
Sylvester Stallone asked for some of James Woods's scenes to be cut from the film and some to be reshot so that Stallone could have more time on screen. The reason was that Stallone feared Woods, being a better actor than him, would steal the film from him. For the same reasons, Stallone also cut some of Rutger Hauer's scenes from Nighthawks (1981).
- #009
In his autobiography, legendary stuntman Stephen Lambert recounts in detail an incident on the set of this film between James Woods and Sharon Stone. Woods performed the scene by pointing a gun at Stone's face. When the tip of the gun accidentally struck Stone's cheek, she launched into a fierce tirade against Woods, punched him in the face and quickly left the set. Woods told Lambert he would never work with Stone again, but he did so only a year later on Casino.
- #010
Ray Quick's cat was named Timer. The cat that played Timer (a Maine Coon) also appears as Pearl in Assassins.
- #011
The producers persuaded Sylvester Stallone to make the film by threatening to replace him with Warren Beatty if he did not commit to the project within fifteen minutes.
- #012
In a 2008 interview at the Zurich Film Festival, Sylvester Stallone said that although he did not think the script was bad, he wanted to rework it. Although he was worried about taking the role, he had to accept it because he was under pressure to make a timely decision while the part was about to be given to Warren Beatty. As a result, Stallone felt like a "sellout" and vowed never to put himself in such a situation again.
- #013
The Hughes Brothers refused to direct this film when Steven Seagal was attached.
- #014
In January 1993, the Los Angeles Times listed The Specialist as Hollywood's best unproduced thriller screenplay, according to a survey of forty agents, producers and studio executives.
- #015
In some early trailers for the film, Marcela Cardona (who plays police officer Tina in the film) is shown as one of the main stars alongside James Woods, Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone. Although her screen time is very limited, her role is not very important to the film.
- #016
Ray's cat, Timer, survives the explosion at the warehouse.
- #017
The music for this film was written by John Barry, best known for scoring the James Bond films starring Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton.
- #018
In the original version of the screenplay, the main character's name was Earl Quick.
- #019
The theatrical trailer shows several extra shots and additional lines from some scenes, including two shots with more dialogue from Trent in several scenes and the scene in which May slaps Joe Leon across the face when Trent brings her to him.
- #020
The BBFC passed the film uncut with a 15 rating for its cinema release, but passed the same version with an 18 rating on video.
- #021
Akiva Goldsman rewrote the screenplay without receiving an on-screen credit and turned the main female character from a freelance operative with no identity into a victim.
- #022
Eric Roberts's character Leon had a much larger role in the screenplay, and Roberts rehearsed his scenes with Stallone and often added his own dialogue. One scene had Leon delivering a monologue, while another had him interacting with a character written as a cameo for Dolph Lundgren. For one reason or another, however, none of these scenes were ever filmed. Stallone felt sorry for Roberts and, partly to make it up to him, cast him as the lead villain in The Expendables (2010).
- #023
James Woods and Sharon Stone were set to work together again on Martin Scorsese's masterpiece Casino (1995).
- #024
Alexandra Seros's inspiration for the screenplay came from The Conversation (1974) and Last Tango in Paris (1972).
- #025
James Woods and Eric Roberts share the same birthday, 18 April.
- #026
Joe Leon died without knowing that Ned Trent had allowed Tomas Leon to be killed by Ray Quick as part of Ned's plan to take revenge on Ray.
- #027
The rules Ray gives May over the phone when he accepts the job are: stop going near the targets; do not contact him; and if she learns he has set a trap for her, he will kill her.
- #028
Sylvester Stallone and Rod Steiger had previously appeared together in F. I. S. T. (1978).
- #029
The film's cast includes one Oscar winner, Rod Steiger, and four Oscar nominees: Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods and Eric Roberts.
- #030
Renny Harlin said that producer Jerry Weintraub offered him the film after Cliffhanger (1993).
- #031
It is widely felt that Eric Roberts was miscast in this film.
- #032
Eric Roberts and Sharon Stone also appeared together in Lovelace (2013).
- #033
It was Yeniffer Behrens's debut.
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