Trivia: Burt Reynolds turned down the role of Jack Horner several times, he finally agreed to do it reluctantly. He hated the film, and thought his acting was terrible and that the film would be a total bomb, so he publicly denounced it. He even fired his agent. However, when it came out it was hailed as Reynolds' comeback role, and he was nominated for an Academy Award. He then changed his opinion of the film drastically.
Trivia: Little Bill's wife is played by real-life porn star Nina Hartley.
Trivia: Loosely based on the events of porn legend John Holmes' (died from AIDS-related liver failure in 1988) life.
Trivia: The judge who decides against Amber Waves' child custody battle is played by 1970s adult film actress Veronica Hart, who actually went through a similar ordeal as Amber.
Trivia: Leonardo DiCaprio was originally offered the role of Dirk Diggler, he liked the screenplay, but turned it down because he had already signed on to do Titanic (1997). But he suggested Mark Wahlberg for the role.
Trivia: The conversation that Dirk has with Jack about blocking his sex scenes is almost identical to a conversation John Holmes had with his director.
Trivia: Samuel L. Jackson was offered the role of Buck Swope.
Trivia: Porn star Ron Jeremy, one of the few people still in the industry who worked during the golden era of the 70s, served as the technical consultant for the film.
Trivia: A neat coincidence. The actor Robert Ridgely (The Colonel) who finances all of Jack Horner's porno films, also plays a restroom pervert who propositions Mel Brooks in 'High Anxiety', some 20 years ago.
Trivia: Don Cheadle is talking to a customer about the TK421 stereo system. TK421 was also a storm trooper's call sign in Star Wars when Han and Luke beat up the troopers and put on their uniforms.
Trivia: Burt Reynolds researched his role by visiting porn sets, and talking with real porn actors.
Trivia: The painting of Dirk Diggler was sold on eBay for $500.
Trivia: Drew Barrymore and Tatum O'Neal were considered for Rollergirl.
Chosen answer: SPOILER ALERT: It was the 1970's. Loose morals. The era of free love. Little Bill and his wife were active in the porn industry. It's likely that his wife presumed, but never discussed with her husband, an "open relationship." Bill, stunned by his discovery (but, perhaps, suspecting it all along), was simply trying to maintain his composure and not seem pathetically unhip by what would be perceived as an absurd overreaction. Clearly, however, he was suppressing a great deal of internalized rage. Ultimately, but very calmly as always, he eventually shoots and kills his wife and her gentleman caller mid-coitus, and then eats his own gun, at Jack's New Year's Eve Party, 1980.
Michael Albert