Trivia

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon performed all of the songs themselves, without being dubbed. They also learned to play their instruments (guitar and auto-harp, respectively) from scratch.

June Carter Cash died before production began on the film, so Reese Witherspoon's research included looking through Carter's closet for inspiration.

Johnny Cash chose Joaquin Phoenix to play him in the film on the basis of his performance in the movie Gladiator (2000). June Carter Cash also reportedly chose Reese Witherspoon for her role in the film.

Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix had vocal training for six months with music producer T-Bone Burnett.

Sony, Universal, Focus Features, Paramount, Columbia Pictures, and Warner Bros. all passed on the project.

It took four years for the producers to secure the rights to the story from James Keach who is a friend of Johnny Cash and his family. After Keach agreed, it took another four years to get the film made.

One of the fan letters Johnny receives is from an inmate at Folsom Prison named Glen Sherley. Glen Sherley was an inmate at Folsom when Johnny recorded "At Folsom Prison" and also wrote the song "Greystone Chapel" that Johnny recorded during that show.

According to director James Mangold, when Joaquin Phoenix was learning how to sing and play guitar like Johnny Cash in the months following the start of filming, his voice was too high and the band had to learn how to play Cash's songs in a higher key. But then just before they started filming, Joaquin's voice dropped closer to John's level and the band had to re-learn the songs in their original key.

At 5' 8" tall, Joaquin Phoenix is six inches shorter than the 6'2" Johnny Cash.

When Cash collapses from a drug overdose he says, "Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency." That is a line from a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon after all his feathers are blown off by a stick of dynamite and it is referred to earlier in the movie when Johnny and Jack are walking together.

Waylon Payne, who portrays Jerry Lee Lewis in the film has a few personal connections to the characters in the film. Marshall Grant (portrayed by Larry Bagby), bassist for the Johnny Cash's The Tennessee Three, was the one who discovered the singing talents of Payne's mother, Sammi Smith. And Waylon Jennings (portrayed by real-life son Shooter Jennings), friend and collaborator of Johnny Cash was his Godfather.

According to Joaquin Phoenix, Johnny Cash chose him on the basis of his performance in the movie Gladiator (2000).

The scene where Johnny Cash pulls the sink off the wall was not scripted. Joaquin Phoenix actually pulled it off the wall.

When Johnny Cash is calling his wife during his first show there is a sign on the wall saying: RING in the case OF FIRE.

When Johnny Cash wakes up on the Tour Bus, just after the Folsom Prison performance, you see him walk past a passed out Luther Perkins (his guitarist) with a lit cigarette in his mouth. Just months after the 'At Folsom Prison' recording/performance, Luther Perkins died in his Tennessee home. He fell asleep with a lit cigarette and died from his injuries sustained from the fire.

Elvis Presley's band members in the film were played by The Dempseys.

Disclamer

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