Random Facts

Did you know...

-Upon being asked about “What a ‘flop’ Newsies was,” Christian Bale replied, “You say something bad about Newsies and you have an awful lot of people to answer to.” It’s nice to know he realizes the cult following behind it. :)

-Trey Parker was the only male cheerleader at his high school, which explains why he was probably able to dance. ;)

-There actually was going to be a girl newsie at one point, and rumor has it, she was going to be played by Roundhouse’s regular, Micki Duran.

-David Sidoni had to wax his chest before playing Pie Eater in Newsies, so he would look like a “young orphan boy.”

-Christian Bale’s sister, Louise Bale, was supposed to have more of a role in the movie as Medda’s assistant, with a song of her own even. She can only be seen in the movie grabbing Medda, after Racetrack is punched at the riot.

-Christian Bale’s dog was supposed to have a role as the Jacobs’ dog, but it wouldn’t cooperate, so it was cut.

-Christian Bale and Max Casella are the only two newsies (to my knowledge) that have kids. They each have a baby girl. o^.^o

-Luke Edwards was offered the lead role in the movie Hook by Stephen Spielberg, at the time of the filming of Newsies, but Kenny Ortega wouldn’t give him up.

-Although Max Casella enjoys being in Broadway musicals, he prefers a career in front of the camera.

-Elle Keats, who played the oh-so-loved Sarah in Newsies (^_~) claimed that it was a little awkward being in a movie with so many young guys.

-Max Casella starred in Doogie Howser M.D. with Neil Patrick Harris, who went on to play Mark in the LA stage production of RENT. Neil’s character Mark was originally played by Anthony Rapp on Broadway, and Max Casella is now starring in an independent film with Rapp called Scaring the Fish.

-The Newsies set burned down just before filming, but was rebuilt better than the first one.

-Christian Bale swears never to do another musical again.

-A few of the newsie guy on the set had their own “newsies pimps” game going on. Kinda weird, but that’s where the “Jacky just got laid” thing came from. (see Observations)

-Max Casella was dating Doogie Howser M.D.’s Lucy Boryer at the time of filming Newsies. He was embarrassed, and never told anyone, but when he took her to the Newsies set, the other guys asked him extremely “personal” questions about her, which embarrassed him even more. He stated in an article that sometimes being the oldest newsie on the set was difficult, because most of the others acted very immature, and it annoyed him at times.

-And yes, Max Casella was 24 at the time of filming Newsies. His birthday is in 1967.

-Newsies was originally supposed to be a drama called Hard Promises, in which Jack Kelly had a younger brother who was killed by getting stuck in a wagon wheel.

-A lot of the newsies (who had never danced before Newsies) went on to persue a career of dance after the movie.

-David Sidoni taught himself how to do a back flip on a soccer field.

-Gabriel Damon is actually quite intimidating, despite his size, but he really is a nice person.

-Trey Parker was in a boy band called EYC while filming Newsies. I have heard occasionally that his two fellow band members were also in Newsies as background dancers.

-Out of the two White Wolves movies that were made, Ele Keats appeared in the first one, and David Moscow appeared in the sequel.

-Michael Goorjian often plays very distraught or mentally disturbed people in movies, and he has the amazing ability to pull it off quite well. (Skittery was very distraught… o_O)

-Gabriel Damon spent barely any time on the set with the rest of the Newsies. Kenny Ortega didn't want the Manhattan Newsies to "bond" too much with Gabe off screen--because it would show on screen. Spot was supposed to be like this mysterious entity to the other Newsies.

-Most of the Newsies actors have no idea that Newsies has such a cult following. (They should…)