20 facts you might not know about 'Fargo'

Fargo begins with the opening text, “This is a true story.” However, this is inaccurate, and the end of the film has the disclaimer saying it is a work of fiction. Over the years, the Coens have changed their story. Sometimes they say that the events are real, but the characters are fake. Sometimes they say it’s all made up. The DVD for the film mentions an event it is based on. Basically, it’s not entirely true, but maybe it’s a little true.

The confusion around Fargo does not end there. In 2001, a Japanese woman named Takako Konishi was found dead in Minnesota. Due to confusion and the power of urban legend, a story sprouted up that Takako had died looking for the money from the film, believing the story to be real. In time, that urban legend started to dissipate, and sadly, Takako’s death was a suicıde. There is a movie called Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter based on this legend.

Joel and Ethan effectively write all their own films, and that allows them to consider actors while writing their scripts. When writing Fargo, the Coens had Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, and Peter Stormare in mind. They all ended up being cast in the role the Coens intended.

McDormand had a good working relationship with the Coen Brothers before Fargo, and not just because she made her film debut in Blood Simple, the Coens’ first film. McDormand and Joel Coen have been married since 1984.

Buscemi plays the motor-mouthed Carl Showalter in Fargo. While his partner in (literal) crime Gaear barely speaks, Carl doesn’t stop talking. In his next Coens film, The Big Lebowski, Buscemi plays the gentle, quiet Donny. And yet, basically every time Donny talks, he’s told to shut up by Walter. This is a good joke within the confines of The Big Lebowski, but it’s a riff on Buscemi going from playing the talkative Carl to the taciturn Donny.

Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, one of the movie's leads and the guy who kicks off all the action with his harebrained scheme. Originally, Macy auditioned for a smaller role. The Coens liked him and offered him a chance to audition for the more significant role of Jerry. Macy jumped at the chance and got a real breakout opportunity.

While the city in North Dakota lends its name to the film, almost all of the action in Fargo happens elsewhere. Jerry’s car dealership is in Minneapolis. Carl and Gaear hideout in Moose Lake, Minnesota. Marge is the police chief of Brainerd, Minnesota. Jerry goes to meet Carl and Gaear in Fargo to hatch the plan, and beyond that, the action is barely ever in the state of North Dakota, much less in Fargo.

The Coens didn’t shoot any of the movie in Fargo or even Brainerd. While they did shoot in Minneapolis, a lot of the film had to be shot in the north of Minnesota and North Dakota due to a surprising lack of snow in Minnesota that winter.

Minnesota loves itself some Paul Bunyan iconography. The tall tale folk legend is big in the Midwest. There’s a 24-foot-tall statue of Bunyan in the movie, but it was not something that they just found. The statue of the giant lumberjack was built for the movie and has since been taken down.

For her role as Marge, McDormand learned to fire a gun and talked to a police officer who had been pregnant on the job to prepare for the role. On top of that, she based the characterization of Marge on her sister, a Christian minister.

Carter Burwell, who has scored almost every Coen Brothers film, was on the task again in Fargo. For the main motif that he used throughout the movie, Burwell was inspired by a Norwegian folk song called “The Lost Sheep.”

The Coens are from Minnesota, so they know a thing or two about the regional accents. By casting actual Minnesotans and giving other actors dialect coaching, the Coens were able to fill their film with an abundance of thick accents. This aspect of the movie really struck a chord with people, and local Minnesotans said in the wake of Fargo, many tourists would ask them to say things like “You betcha” in their accents. Larissa Kokernot, one of the dialect coaches, also had a small role in the movie as one of the prostıtutes.

Fargo was screened for the public for the first time at the famed Cannes Film Festival. It was nominated for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s equivalent of Best Picture, but did not win. However, Joel did take home the Best Director award. Due to the vagaries of Hollywood, while the Coens work together, Joel tends to get credited as the director while Ethan is credited as the producer.

Fargo didn’t have big stars or much in the way of special effects, leading to a budget of a mere $7 million. The movie struck a chord with audiences, bringing home a little over $24 million domestically. Surprisingly, it was also big overseas. All in all, Fargo brought home $60.6 million.

Finally, the Coens broke through at the Academy Awards with Fargo. The movie was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Also, Roderick Jaynes was nominated for Best Film Editing. He wouldn’t have been able to accept his award if he had won. Again, due to the vagaries of Hollywood, the Coens edit their films using “Roderick Jaynes” as their pseudonym.

The Coen Brothers won Best Original Screenplay, but the real star of Oscars night was McDormand, who won Best Actress. This was her first Academy Award, but not her last. McDormand has won four Oscars, including three for Best Actress.

In the wake of Fargo fever, a pilot was commissioned based on the movie. The Coens were not involved, but the action was designed to focus on Marge Gunderson in the wake of the events of the movie. McDormand did not return to the role, with the future Carmella Soprano, Edie Falco, cast in the role instead. However, the show did not make it past the pilot stage.

Many years later, adapting Fargo to television was tried again. This time, they handled things a little differently. The show, created by Noah Hawley, is merely influenced by the movie. It takes place in the same universe and references Fargo and other Coens movies. Fargo has aired four seasons on FX thus far.

Bruce Campbell is a cult actor, mostly due to his role as Ash in the Evil Dead universe. He’s also a favorite of the Coens. In Fargo, he has a small uncredited role as Ronald Reagan. Later, in the second season of the TV show, Campbell returns to play Reagan again, this time in a more prominent appearance.

Though it is not featured in the film much, the city of Fargo has embraced its namesake movie. The Fargo-Moorhead visitors center has several props from the film. One of those props? That would be the wood chipper that Gaear used to dispose of Carl.