Where to watch American Psycho (2000)

Trivia & production notes

• Mary Harron initially found the American Psycho novel too violent to finish when it was first published, but returned to it years later and recognized it could work as a satirical period piece about the 1980s.
• Harron demanded the right to write her own screenplay for American Psycho after reading existing drafts that she felt were too moralistic and missed the novel's social commentary.
• Co-writer Guinevere Turner had never heard of American Psycho and was not a horror fan when Harron recruited her, but came around after realizing the material could be made into a subversive feminist film.
• Billy Crudup was attached to play Patrick Bateman for a month and a half before leaving the project because he was uncomfortable with the role and could not understand the character.
• Christian Bale only became interested in American Psycho after producer Christine Vachon, who was working with him on another film, convinced him to read the script.
• Lionsgate announced Leonardo DiCaprio had been cast as Bateman at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival without Harron's consent, leading to her firing because she refused to direct the film without Christian Bale.
• Christian Bale waited nine months without accepting other roles, confident that Leonardo DiCaprio would eventually leave the project, and his faith was rewarded when DiCaprio departed to work on The Beach instead.
• Lionsgate offered the Bateman role to Ewan McGregor, who declined after Bale personally urged him not to take it, eventually forcing the studio to reluctantly hire Bale for a $50,000 salary.
• Christian Bale transformed his physique within two weeks of Harron suggesting he build muscle, getting tan and even having his teeth cosmetically altered to match the image of a wealthy 1980s investment banker.
• Anti-violence advocates in Toronto petitioned City Hall and organized protests to prevent filming, citing reports that serial killer Paul Bernardo owned a copy of the American Psycho novel.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article American Psycho (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.