At the wrap party marking the end of production, Seth Rogen and Jake Gyllenhaal conceded they had absolutely no clue what the film was about.
Jake Gyllenhaal adopts a scarcely-blinking tactic to accentuate the unsettling, psychopathic edge of his performance when he is driven by Frank.
Seth Rogen's opening line in this, his debut feature, is 'I like your boobs'.
In the theatrical release, the track heard while Donnie cycles home is 'The Killing Moon' by Echo & The Bunnymen. While Gretchen waits for the school bus, a Volkswagen Rabbit speeds past her. When Elizabeth dozes in the recliner, a stuffed rabbit sits beside her. As Donnie reaches for the car keys, a Polaroid of him and his sister in Halloween costumes sits on the desk. Donnie is wearing a rabbit costume. Near the end, as Donnie speaks with his sister after their mother leaves, a "jack-o'-lantern" bunny is visible on the table. Frank, the rabbit, frequently appears near a water source (sprinklers, the water main, a tap).
At the outset of the film, Donnie is cycling back into town and, just after he passes two women who are "powerwalking", Frank drives past in his red Trans Am.
In conversations about sex with his counsellor, the original script featured Donnie's fantasies being about Alyssa Milano. For legal reasons, these were changed to Christina Applegate.
Seth Rogen made his first appearance in a feature film.
Patrick Swayze wore his own 1980s-era clothing while filming.
The words 'Cellar Door' appear on the chalkboard in Karen Pomeroy's classroom. When Donnie asks what they mean, she says that a noted linguist once claimed that, of all the phrases in the English language and among all the countless combinations of words throughout history, 'Cellar Door' is the most beautiful. In the director's commentary, Richard Kelly mistakenly attributes the phrase to Edgar Allan Poe, but it actually comes from J.R.R. Tolkien, who in his 1955 essay 'English and Welsh' wrote that 'Most English-speaking people will admit that cellar door is "beautiful", especially if dissociated from its sense (and from its spelling). More beautiful than, say, sky, and far more beautiful than beautiful.' Interestingly, The Lord of the Rings includes a region called 'Eriador' and an Elven noble named 'Celeborn', both of which sound similar to 'Cellar Door'.
Writer and director Richard Kelly came up with the idea for the future blobs while watching American football. John Madden used a "telestrator", annotating a paused clip to indicate where the players were likely to move moments before letting the clip run. Kelly saw this while under the influence and began to speculate what might happen, hypothetically, if "someone upstairs" were doing the same thing to people. Fittingly, Donnie first notices the future blobs while watching a football match.
The scene in which Donnie corrects Gretchen was ad-libbed, as Jena Malone couldn't properly pronounce the name "Professor Kenneth Monnitoff".
When casting for Donnie's sister, writer-director Richard Kelly learnt that Maggie Gyllenhaal — who had only a handful of screen credits at the time — would be available for filming. The agent who recommended her brought to Kelly's attention a scene she performed in Cecil B. Demented (2000), in which she drank urine. Kelly was a little hesitant about the suggestion, but he liked the way she carried out the action and realised he wouldn't have to labour to establish a sibling rivalry between her and her brother Jake.
In the cinema scene, Richard Kelly had originally intended for Donnie and Gretchen to go and see C.H.U.D. (1984). However, difficulties arose in determining who held the rights to the film. Ultimately Sam Raimi stepped in and allowed Kelly to use and alter footage from Evil Dead (1981) at no charge. The scene was filmed at The Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, California. The Aero closed in 2003 but reopened in early 2005.
When Donnie confides to Gretchen that he accidentally set fire to a house, they are walking directly in front of Jim Cunningham's house.
The film was shot over a 28-day period — the same span of time depicted in the film.
Whilst filming Charlie's Angels (2000), Drew Barrymore and Richard Kelly agreed that her production company, Flower Films, would put up $4.5 million to produce the picture (and that Barrymore would play Miss Pomeroy). Kelly has said that, had Barrymore not stepped in, the film would have either gone straight to video or ended up on cable television via Starz.
Early in the film, as Donnie is cycling home he passes Frank's car, which is travelling in the opposite direction. That car later kills Gretchen, prompting Donnie to shoot Frank in the right eye (the same eye Donnie had previously stabbed through the water-mirror). Soon afterwards, when time is "reset" and everyone wakes to the song "Mad World", Frank is seen wiping a tear from his right eye.
Frank claims the world will end in "twenty-eight days, six hours, forty-two minutes and twelve seconds". That span can be derived by adding or subtracting one unit to each component of the time 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes and 11 seconds — which corresponds exactly to the length of a lunar month by a less commonly used definition, the sidereal month, rather than the usual synodic month.
While shooting the sequence in which Kitty Farmer recounts how Donnie instructed her to place a Lifeline exercise card in an awkward spot, writer-director Richard Kelly laughed so uncontrollably that he had to step away from the set.
In the "Cunning Visions" advert, Jim Cunningham gives a boy a pat on the bottom. The boy who stands up at the school assembly asking to be taught to fight is the very same child featured in Jim Cunningham's advert.
At one stage, it seemed as though the film was set to be released straight to the home market. Christopher Nolan was among the influential figures who helped secure a cinema release.
Was voted ninth in Film4's "50 Films To See Before You Die".
Vince Vaughn, well past his teens, is said to have declined the role of Donnie because of his age. Mark Wahlberg was keen on the part but apparently would only take it if the character had a lisp. Jason Schwartzman was also strongly considered for Donnie, yet he withdrew due to scheduling conflicts. Tim Robbins was the preferred choice to play Eddie Darko. Mara Wilson was in contention for Samantha Darko but turned the role down.
The short story "The Destructors" — which Karen Pomeroy covers in her lessons, appears to mirror events taking place in the supposed "real" world and was deemed inappropriate at a P.T.A. meeting, an episode that ultimately leads to Pomeroy's dismissal — was written by Graham Greene, born 2 October 1904. 2 October 1988 is the day Frank, the rabbit, tells Donnie that the world will end in twenty-eight days, six hours, forty-two minutes and twelve seconds.
According to the commentary by Richard Kelly, the Man in the Red Jogging Suit is an agent of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which was so bewildered by the jet-engine incident that it deployed operatives to monitor members of the family. The Mystery Woman, seen during Sparkle Motion's talent-show appearance, was a talent scout from Star Search (1983).
Judging by what can be seen and heard of Evil Dead (1981) in the cinema scenes, it takes the best part of an hour for Donnie to go from the cinema to Jim Cunningham's house, set it on fire and return to the cinema just in time for the end of the film (listen for Ash's scream).
The film is peppered with comic-book references. Gretchen quips that Donnie’s name sounds like a superhero’s, and he replies, "What makes you think I'm not?" Several characters carry alliterative names (Donnie Darko, Cherita Chen, Frankie Feedler, Daye Dennis, Joanie James, Sean Smith, Donnie Dickson), mirroring the naming style of many comic-book heroes (Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Susan Storm, etc.). Many viewers take Donnie to be a superhero, since he displays powers and uses them to save others.
The Director's Cut considerably alters the film's pace, reinstating deleted scenes, introducing new visual effects and rearranging the film's soundtrack. Richard Kelly does not regard this release as a Director's Cut (that label was the publisher's idea), as he believes the cinema release is perfectly fine on its own. Instead, he views the new version as a kind of Special Edition.
The film's initial cut ran for two hours and forty-five minutes. The Director's Cut largely mirrors the version that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2001.
The original promotional material for Donnie Darko showed a crashing aeroplane. Because it opened shortly before 11 September 2001, all of that was pulled, and — due to the lack of promotion — the film flopped at the box office. It found its audience when released on DVD, becoming an unexpected hit and developing a cult following.
At a house party someone bounces on a trampoline while wearing a Ronald Reagan mask. The image was sourced from a photograph of Hunter S. Thompson doing the same. Patrick Swayze also wore a similar mask in Point Break.
Some tracks in the film were replacements for songs the filmmakers had wanted but were refused clearance. The dance sequence was set to 'West End Girls' by the Pet Shop Boys, and the Duran Duran track 'Notorious' was re-dubbed during post-production. U2's 'MLK' was used over the final scene but was ultimately replaced by Gary Jules's cover of the Tears for Fears song 'Mad World'.
Mary McDonnell was so excited about her role that she received her first ever speeding fine whilst driving to the set.
When the entire school is flooded, there's a shot showing a message beneath the mascot's statue that reads: "They made me do it." Later, in the Halloween party scene shortly before it finishes, you see a note on the fridge saying: "Frank was here, went to get beer." The two messages are in the same handwriting, suggesting the Frank who went for beer is the same Frank who appears as Donnie's imaginary rabbit.
Throughout the film, Donnie yields to the three temptations Jim Cunningham names: alcohol, drugs and sex before marriage. The other picture showing at the theatre where Donnie and Gretchen watched The Evil Dead (1981) was The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).
Initially, Richard Kelly sought permission from the estate of Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs, to show a Smurf doll for Donnie and his friends to shoot at. During that same conference call, Kelly was informed that Donnie would also be permitted to discuss Smurf sex, as the wording in the script was regarded as an accurate description.
The black-and-white poster in Donnie's room, showing an eye with a skull reflected in it, is a reproduction of the etching 'Eye' (1946) by the artist M.C. Escher.
The original poster artwork for Donnie Darko employed an Arabic-style typeface, but for the home-video release it was swapped for the more commonly used Trajan following the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001. The original-style font, however, remains in the film itself.
The infomercials for Jim Cunningham's 'Cunning Visions' were filmed on the ranch owned by Patrick Swayze in Lake View Terrace, California.
Writer and director Richard Kelly admired the dedication to craft shown by the young Jake Gyllenhaal. For the sequence in which Donnie is hypnotised by his therapist but instead begins to experience a sexual daydream involving Christina Applegate, Kelly considered filming a take in which he would instruct Katharine Ross not to snap her fingers and thus not to break the trance. Concluding that the future A-lister would most likely simply remain in the scene and continue masturbating, he decided against the idea.
Easter egg: The DVD contains several Easter eggs, or hidden items. Two of them can be found in the "Philosophy of Time Travel" book within the "Special Features" section. On each appendix page, press the up arrow on your remote control and then press Enter. Appendix A reveals a deleted scene depicting the school flooding, while Appendix B presents an alternative trailer for the film. Another Easter egg can be accessed from the "Cunning Visions" menu: at the bottom of the screen, highlight the "Special Features" menu entry, press the right arrow on your remote to select the icon, and press Enter. This will take you into a website gallery.
In the 2001 film Donnie Darko, Professor Kenneth Monnitoff (played by Noah Wyle) is shown eating boiled sweets in several scenes, because Wyle decided his character would be diabetic.
Patrick Swayze appears as a charismatic educator advocating a dubious educational course. Swayze was formerly a Scientologist, and Scientology runs an educational programme called 'Applied Scholastics'.
Richard Kelly has said the film struggled to secure a US distributor. Because the film mixed a range of genres and tones, distributors were unsure of its message and how to market it. Kelly also maintains the picture was nearly due to premiere on the Starz network before Newmarket Films picked it up for a cinema release.
At the end of 'Cunning Visions', Jim Cunningham is shown with his years of life: 1944–1988. Roberta Sparrow's 'The Philosophy of Time Travel' was published in 1944.
Placed fifth on Australia's list of ten favourite films.
Newmarket Films, the film's US distributor, approached Richard Kelly about producing a director's cut. He agreed, and, together with editor Sam Bauer, completed the re-edit in nine days.
The Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California — where the film's theatre sequences were filmed — traditionally screens Donnie Darko every Easter.
When Donnie gets back home at the start of the film, Rose is reading Stephen King's It, which prominently features a clown. In the film's closing scenes the passenger in Frank's car is dressed in a clown costume. Richard Kelly had originally wanted Rose to be pictured reading a different King novel, The Tommyknockers, but the production couldn't obtain a period-appropriate cover, so It was used instead.
The character Frank — a giant rabbit — drew inspiration from the animated film Watership Down (1978), excerpts from which appear in the Donnie Darko Director's Cut.
The song that closes the film, "Mad World", performed by Gary Jules, reached number one in the charts around Christmas 2003.
When Donnie's mother, Rose, asks Kitty whether she's heard of Graham Greene, Kitty says she has, claiming to have seen Bonanza (1959). In fact, Kitty is mixing him up with Lorne Greene, who appeared in that series. Sam Raimi, who permitted the Donnie Darko production to use and alter a clip from his film The Evil Dead (1981) at no charge, is married to Gillian Greene, Lorne's daughter. There is also a Native Canadian actor, Graham Greene, who has portrayed Native Americans in numerous films, including Dances with Wolves (1990), alongside Mary McDonnell. The author Graham Greene had many of his novels adapted for the screen, notably The Quiet American (1958) (twice), Brighton Rock (1948) (twice) and Our Man in Havana (1959).
Towards the end of the film Donnie Darko, as Frank speeds along the road, Seth Devlin has a knife held to Donnie's throat while restraining him. Seth asks whether Donnie called the police. Donnie replies 'Deus Ex Machina', literally 'God out of the machine', a term typically used for a plot device that resolves what appears to be an insoluble problem. In this scene Donnie is referring to the fact that he cannot change what is occurring in the current timeline — which results in Gretchen's death — but that he has now learnt how to travel through time and can alter the outcome by sacrificing himself. Time travel therefore functions as the Deus Ex Machina that resolves the seemingly insoluble situation.
The final cinema release to feature Patience Cleveland (Roberta Sparrow/Grandma Death).
Before Mara Wilson retired from acting, she was sent the script to read for the part of Samantha Darko, but she declined to audition because the script unnerved her. At the time she was already physically unwell in her hotel room in England.
Richard Kelly was brought up in Midlothian, Virginia. That was noted in one of the original scripts, but it was later altered to Middlesex, Virginia.
In the scene at the cinema, Donnie spots Frank and asks why he's wearing a mask. Frank pulls the mask off to reveal his face, which shows a wound over his right eye. In the closing scenes, Donnie shoots Frank in the right eye.
Despite appearing as his teacher, Drew Barrymore is merely five years older than Jake Gyllenhaal.
Karen Pomeroy's name honours the sexual behaviour researcher Wardell Pomeroy of the Kinsey Institute.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Maggie Gyllenhaal each went on to appear alongside Heath Ledger: Jake in Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Maggie in The Dark Knight (2008).
Despite persistent rumours, Richard Kelly maintains that none of the characters in the film are modelled on teachers or students at USC.
Towards the end of the film, as Donnie and three others cycle to Grandma Death's house, Donnie is the only one whose bicycle light has gone out (isn't working).
Jake Gyllenhaal was actually 19 when he portrayed a 16-year-old secondary school pupil. Maggie Gyllenhaal was 23 when she played his older sister. Although the film never states her age, the shooting script specifies that Elizabeth Darko is intended to be 19.
Katharine Ross and Mary McDonnell were paid the scale rate for the film.
It was adapted for the stage by director Marcus Stern and was mounted in October and November 2007 at the American Repertory Theatre's Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Similar to the stage play and film Harvey (1950), the central character becomes friends with a giant, sentient rabbit that no one else can see.
Drew Barrymore and Mary McDonnell both featured in the Scream film series; Barrymore in Scream (1996) and McDonnell in Scream 4 (2011).
Mary McDonnell and Noah Wyle took on the roles of a mother and her son in the series ER (1994).
James Duval, who played Frank, and Mary McDonnell, who portrayed Rose Darko, both featured in Independence Day (1996).
The answerphone displayed at the party is the identical model to the unit prominently featured in Sneakers (1992), which also starred Mary McDonnell.
The film represents Fran Kranz's screen debut; he appears as the passenger in the clown suit.
This marked the screen debut of Ashley Tisdale.
The Life Line exercise card Donnie was asked to tick concerns a girl who finds a lost wallet. Later, Donnie discovers Jim Cunningham's wallet lying on the pavement outside his mansion.
Off-screen, Jake Gyllenhaal and Maggie Gyllenhaal are brother and sister.
Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Gretchen (Jena Malone) attend a screening of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead (1981), during which Gretchen dozes off. Malone had previously worked with Raimi on the 1999 film For Love of the Game. It was also reported that Gyllenhaal was considered as a potential replacement for Tobey Maguire when Maguire nearly withdrew from Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (2004) because of ongoing back problems.
This marks the film debut of Jolene Purdy.
Jerry Trainor and Maggie Gyllenhaal were both born in 1977; their birthdays are ten months apart — Trainor was born on 21 January and Gyllenhaal on 16 November.
This film features actors who would later appear in iCarly (2007): Jerry Trainor and David St. James. Trainor portrayed Spencer Shay opposite Miranda Cosgrove's Carly, and St. James played her teacher, Mr Howard.
Donnie drives past Frank's car at the very instant the line 'killing time' from Echo & the Bunnymen's song 'The Killing Moon' is heard.
Drew Barrymore and Maggie Gyllenhaal shared the screen in the 2001 film Riding in Cars with Boys (2001).
At Jim Cunningham's seminar, every character who appeared before Donnie later went on to land a notable part in a 2000s children's television series. Ashley Tisdale, Jerry Trainor and Jack Salvatore Jr. subsequently starred in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005), iCarly (2007) and Zoey 101 (2005), respectively.
Both Jena Malone and Scotty Leavenworth appeared alongside Julia Roberts in separate films. Malone appeared in Stepmom, while Leavenworth featured in Erin Brockovich.
