Trivia for
The Pelican Brief (1993) More at IMDbPro »

• The rights to "The Pelican Brief" were bought before the book was even written, John Grisham had written a sample from the book and the rights were bought on the spot.
  
  
• John Grisham wrote the part of Darby Shaw with Julia Roberts in mind. Roberts read the book once it was finished and agreed to the role without even seeing a script.
  
  
• F. Denton Voyles is the FBI Director in most of John Grisham's books, when the FBI plays a part.
  
  
• Although the Tulane Law School has moved to a new building since this film was released, the room where Julia Roberts and Sam Shepard meet for class early in the move is still a classroom: Jones Hall Rm. 102.
  
  
• The President questions Cole's idea of addressing the nation while wearing a cardigan sweater; this is based on a real-life incident in which then-president Jimmy Carter addressed the nation in a cardigan during the height of the fuel shortages in the 1970s.
  
  
• FBI Director Denton Voyles also appeared in the John Grisham adaptation The Firm (1993), in which he was played by Steven Hill.
  
  
• Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington) and Smith Keen (John Lithgow) secretly meet at the home of George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon, VA. Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, NY.
  
  
• To research his role as reporter Gray Grantham, Denzel Washington spent time with Washington Post editors and reporters.
  
  
• For the scenes inside the White House, the sets created for Dave (1993) were used.
  
  

• SPOILER: Victor Mattiece, the main villain, never appears in the film.
  
  

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