Trivia
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Cameo (1)
Peter Bici, Jeff Pang, Harold Hunter, and many others from the movie are professional skateboarders on the Zoo York team.
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The film was given an NC-17 rating in the United States, which caused controversy at Miramax Films, whose parent company is The Walt Disney Company. Disney forbids the release of films rated NC-17. Alarmed by this, Miramax heads Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein came up with a simple solution: they made a one-off independent distribution company, Shining Excalibur Pictures, which handled the films distribution. (The film was later released in the United States without a rating.) A similar situation happened with the Weinsteins for the release of the film Fahrenheit 9/11.
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Larry Clark commissioned Harmony Korine to write the screenplay "so the story could come from the inside, from the point of view of the kids."
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The film follows Harmony Korine's script quite closely. There is really only one notable difference: the removal of a scene that visually represents an apocryphal story told by Telly in which Casper, as a young child, mistakes his parents' S & M lovemaking for a real attack and stabs his leather-masked father to death with the family's turkey-carving knife.
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Screenings were often picketed by protesters, especially in Britain, where parliament quickly denounced the film.
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Mia Kirshner was originally cast as Jennie. Chloë Sevigny, at that stage, had a minor role as one of the girls in the swimming pool, even though Harmony Korine said the character was inspired by her. And only a couple of days before production began, Sevigny was asked to take on the role of Jennie. Mia Kirshner, too, actually went on to achieve some level of success, however did not end up starring in the film.
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It was Harmony Korine who found his way to Cary Woods, who, having recently produced another youth-marketed film, Rudy, was able to hook initial investors.
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The movie was actually cast long before financing was pulled together. Many were selected from Harmony Korine's own group of friends, who were, incidentally, the basis for some of the script's characters. In the year or so it took to secure investors the initial cast crop had either aged considerably or, after more thought, been replaced.
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Rosario Dawson, who plays Ruby, was spotted by Harmony Korine and Larry Clark sitting on the stoop of an East Village tenement.
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After this movie, Leo Fitzpatrick decided he didn't like acting and quit. He took US$300, his skateboard, and some clothes and moved to Britain. After a three-year hiatus, Leo was convinced to come and make a follow-up to the film.
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Oliver Stone, after reading the script for Kids, actually tried to court Harmony Korine into writing him a similar screenplay.
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The scene where Casper, Telly and the other kids beat up the hoodlum in the park was inspired by an incident Harmony Korine witnessed less then 20 yards from where it was filmed.
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For his role as Casper, Justin Pierce won an Independent Spirit Award for best debut performance. Korine was nominated for best first screenplay, but he lost out to Paul Auster for Smoke.
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The end credits state that "a portion of the proceeds from this film will be donated to teen crisis organizations."
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The movie had a budget of US$1.5 million and was picked up at the Sundance Film Festival by Miramax for US$3.5 million.
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The original Pioneer release of the DVD lists the running time as 102 minutes. This is a typo and the version of the movie on the DVD is the same 91 minute version as Trimark DVD.
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The club in the movie was an actual Club (Tunnel) in New York City on 27th St between 11th and 12th Ave (main entrance) in Manhattan.
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According to an interview with bit-part actor Jeff Pang (who plays himself), many of the party scenes in the film were completely unscripted. The cameras would roll and the "kids" would just get drunk, get high, and play around. There is debate however, as to whether the 'blunt-rolling tutorial' scene in Washington Square Park used real marijuana or not.
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The skateboarding film that the guys are watching at Javier's apartment is an old video featuring Mark Gonzales riding through the streets, which is Video Days.
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Larry Clark originally decided he wanted to cast Leo Fitzpatrick in a movie after watching him skateboard in New York, and cursing himself when he couldn't land certain tricks.
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The British Board of Film Classification insisted on 40 seconds being cut from the scene when a small boy wakes up on a sofa to find a girl being raped several feet away. This is due to British law that does not allow for a child to be in the same scene as simulated sex.
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Justin Pierce (Casper) broke his wrist in a fight with a club bouncer during production. During the night pool scene he is seen holding his broken, wrist above his head to limit the pain as he could not get a cast put on it until after filming.
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