Nicholas Nickleby

Top 10 Fun Facts

1. The Charles Dickens classic was originally published as The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, a collection of serials that ran from March 1838 to September 1839. But there was no prize inside - that's a different kind of cereal.
2. Stick to the book: in turning an 800-page novel into a two-hour film, writer/director Douglas McGrath was obviously forced to omit a lot of the detail from the Dickens original. Otherwise the movie would have been three days long and bladders everywhere would have suffered unimaginable consequences.
3. Another change from the book came at the request of production designer Eve Stewart, who wanted to move the story's timeframe forward a couple of decades to capitalize on the look of the Industrial Revolution. Steam power is hot!
4. Meanwhile, costume designer Ruth Myers pulled a Marty McFly and went back in time, dressing Nicholas and Madeline in clothing that pre-dated the film's setting to suggest the notion that these characters were wearing hand-me-downs from the previous generation.
5. Sometimes it pays to dilly-dally: actor Charlie Hunnam received a copy of the script several months before he had a chance to read it. When he finally met with Douglas McGrath, the director gave him the lead role.
6. More casting tidbits: McGrath and the film's producers were brought to tears by Jamie Bell's audition for the role of Smike, and he was cast on the spot.
7. The role of Mrs. Squeers was originally offered to Miranda Richardson, who backed out in order to focus on three separate parts in the David Cronenberg psychological thriller Spider. Good news for Juliet Stevenson, who nabbed the Mrs. Squeers part instead.
8. Big break: Nicholas Nickleby marked the big screen debut of actress/model Romola Garai, as little sister Kate.
9. The movie was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, but lost out to Chicago. It's tough to top a singing and dancing Catherine Zeta-Jones.
10. Consolation prize: Nicholas Nickleby did take home the National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble. Take that, CZJ!

Cast

Crew