Where to watch Trainspotting (1996)

Trivia & production notes

• Producer Andrew Macdonald discovered Irvine Welsh's novel on a plane in December 1993 and immediately saw its cinematic potential, bringing it to Danny Boyle and John Hodge two months later.
• Danny Boyle secured the film rights by writing Welsh a letter that flattered the author by comparing Hodge and Macdonald to Kenny Dalglish and Alex Ferguson.
• Ewan McGregor shaved his head and lost 28 pounds to play Renton, and spent time with recovering heroin addicts in Glasgow to understand the character while learning how to simulate cooking heroin with a spoon and glucose powder.
• Robert Carlyle initially resisted playing Begbie because he thought he was too short for the role, but Boyle convinced him by arguing that small psychos were better.
• Kelly Macdonald was discovered through an unconventional street casting process involving flyers posted at nightclubs and boutiques, specifically to cast an unknown actress in the role of Diane.
• Jonny Lee Miller impressed Boyle during his audition by performing a Sean Connery accent, leading to his casting in the film.
• The film was shot over seven weeks in mid-1995 on a budget of £1.5 million, with most scenes completed in a single take due to time and financial constraints, giving the film its characteristic grungy aesthetic.
• Despite being set in Edinburgh, nearly the entire film was shot in Glasgow, with only the opening shoplifting chase scene actually filmed in Edinburgh.
• The famous 'Worst Toilet in Scotland' scene used chocolate to simulate feces, and the overdose scene where Renton sinks into the floor was created using a platform above a trap door.
• Members of the Calton Athletic Recovery Group, an organization of recovering heroin addicts, appear as the opposing football team in the opening credits.

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