Dead Man Walking

Top 10 Fun Facts

1. The real Sister Helen Prejean was told that she would be played on screen by a famous actress who starred in Thelma & Louise. When the nun was introduced to Susan Sarandon, she exclaimed "Thank God, she's Louise."
2. Sister Helen got a little face time in the film herself - look for her outside the prison during a candlelight vigil.
3. Oh heck, let's give Sister Helen a writing credit while we're at it. The scene where Susan Sarandon's character is pulled over by the cops really happened to Sister Helen during production, and she thought it was so funny that she suggested it should go into the film.
4. Director Tim Robbins adapted the screenplay from Sister Helen Prejean's book, and later wrote a stage version of the story.
5. In addition to directing his then-partner Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins also cast his father, mother, sister and sons in the movie. His brother, meanwhile, composed the soundtrack.
6. Prejean's book actually features two different death row convicts, but they were combined into a single character for the film. Sean Penn was apparently up to the challenge - he earned an Oscar nomination.
7. Another Oscar nomination went to Bruce Springsteen for the film's title song. He lost to a song from Disney's Pocahontas.
8. The future Mr. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, made his feature film debut as rapist Walter Delacroix.
9. Because the rape scene was filmed in the mud, Sarsgaard and actress Missy Yager had to shower, put on fresh clothes and reapply their make-up between each take. That's some serious commitment to getting it right.
10. Tim Robbins hates computers! At least, that's what you could interpret from this special note in the credits: "This Film Was Edited On Old Fashioned Machines."

Cast

Crew