American History X: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Movie

Tony Kaye’s American History X is one of the most powerful and thought-provoking movies ever made. The controversial redemption story of the confused Neo-Nazi leader Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) attempting to change his life for the better currently ranks #39 on IMDB’s Top 25o with an 8.5/10 rating. The film also currently holds an 83% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Released in theaters on November 20, 1998, the film barely broke even at the box-office by earning roughly $23 million on an estimated $20 million budget. However, the film garnered an Academy Award nomination for Edward Norton as Best Leading Actor. Here’s a detailed look back at the film as it nears its 22nd anniversary.

10 The Main Characters Were Based On Real People

The two odious Neo-Nazis in the film were based on real-life people. Derek Vinyard (Norton) is based on real-life former skinhead Frank Meeink. After a three-year prison sentence, Meeink disowned the racist movement and began publicly speaking against such organizations.

Meanwhile, Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach) was based on Tom Metzger, the leader of the White Aryan Resistance (WAR), a hateful white supremacist group based out of Southern California. Though WAR was bankrupted into relative irrelevance following some members’ convictions for the murder of Mulugeta Seraw, Metzger remains a vocal racist to this day.

9 Joaquin Phoenix Turned Down The Lead Role

Edward Norton turned down a role in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan to star in American History X. Before he was cast in the lead role of Derek Vinyard, Joaquin Phoenix was approached. However, Phoenix declined due to his discomfort with the film’s visceral subject matter.

For the other key roles, Marlon Brando was in consideration for Cameron Alexander. For the role of Murray, writer/director/actor Paul Mazursky was strongly considered. That role ultimately went to Elliot Gould.

8 Edward Norton’s Intense Preparation

Along with costar Edward Furlong, Edward Norton shaved his head to play Derek Vinyard. He also increased his caloric intake and gained up to 30 pounds of muscle to bulk up his physique to appear more intimidating.

Although director Tony Kaye balked at the idea of casting Norton at first, he ultimately relented. Norton was so invested in making the movie that he cut his normal fee of $1 million by $500,000 to star in American History X and help keep the budget under control.

7 The Director Nearly Quit Due To Script Changes

Before Tony Kay was hired by New Line Cinema to direct American History X as his feature debut, the project was offered to Easy Rider director Dennis Hopper to helm it. When Hopper declined, Kaye got the job.

Once production commenced, several script changes made by stars Norton and Furlong took place in a way that undermined director. Kaye was so distraught over how the direction of the story veered away from what he originally planned that he voiced his desire to quit the project. While he did finish the film, that wasn’t the end of Kaye’s conflict with American History X.

6 The Director Disowned The Film

The aforementioned directorial dispute got even nastier when Norton re-edited the film and elongated the runtime by 24-minutes over the initial workprint. Conflicting reports say Norton gave himself more screentime, while others claim he merely salvaged the film. Either way, Kaye became so incensed that he tried to have his name removed from the film altogether and have it replaced with “Humpty Dumpty.”

However, a Director’s Guild of America (DGA) rule stipulates that if a director uses an alias, they cannot publicly discuss the reason why, as Kaye often did in publications like Variety. As such, he was unable to remove his name from the final product, but he still distanced himself from the project. Though released in 1998, he didn’t watch American History X until 2007.

5 The Director Sued His Movie

As a result of the rancorous rift between New Line Cinema and Tony Kaye, the director filed a lawsuit seeking roughly $200 million from the studio and the DGA for damages. According to the book Cinematic Century, Kaye filed the suit over the use of his name on the film.

New Line producer Michael De Luca attempted to smooth things over before the skirmish ended in a lawsuit by having a meeting with Kaye that included the calming presence of a Jewish rabbi, Buddhist monk, and Catholic priest. Kaye pushed forward, though the lawsuit was dismissed in 2000. Kaye has since apologized for his behavior, confessing that his ego got the better of him.

4 A Punk Band Also Sued The Movie

The disgruntled director wasn’t the only entity to file a lawsuit against New Line over the making of American History X. The punk band Anti-Heroes also filed a suit for having a skinhead character in the film wear a tattoo of their band.

The members of Anti-Heroes wanted zero association with such hateful racist characters, however fictional, and sought legal action as a result. In response, New Line Cinema has since edited the band’s logo out of any future releases. The band later recorded a song called “NLC,” which overtly besmirched New Line Cinema.

3 Danny’s Term Paper Has A Hint Of Hope

The dramatic crux of the movie deals with Derek’s personal redemption and his dogged attempt to prevent his brother Danny from being brainwashed by Cameron’s hateful ideology. Although Derek is too late to ultimately save his brother, Danny’s term paper hints he too was on a righteous path before his untimely death.

The final line of Danny’s powerful school essay that is heard at the end of the film is taken from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address in 1861. Lincoln, who sought to erode racial divisions, drafted the Emancipation Proclamation one year later.

2 The Movie Has A Scene In The Big Lebowski Diner

For the scene in which Derek and Danny share breakfast before attending school, it was shot in the same diner featured in the Coen Brothers’ classic stoner comedy The Big Lebowski. The latter used the diner for one of its many iconic scenes, specifically the one where Walter (John Goodman) accidentally deduces the truth about Bunny’s (fake) toe and claims that he can get The Dude (Jeff Bridges) a toe by three o’clock.

The diner is a real café called Johnny’s Coffee Shop, located in Los Angeles between Wilshire and Fairfax. The diner is still available for filming to this day, with other credits including City of Angels and Reservoir Dogs. Coincidentally, both American History X and The Big Lebowski were released in 1998.

1 The Original Ending Was Bleaker

One of the major changes Norton made to the movie was the final scene. In the original screenplay, the ending would have found Derek staring at himself in a mirror before he begins to shave his head. The implication is that, no matter how socially conscious he is and no matter how much he thinks he’s changed, Derek cannot escape the cycle of violence. Norton rejected this and made a new ending.

In Norton’s version, Derek sees his ideologies bite back in the worst possible way when Danny is gunned down after he emulated his Neo-Nazi ways. As Derek mourns, Danny’s voiceover reciting Lincoln’s words can be heard. Though still depressing and with the same message about the cycle of violence, this new conclusion wasn’t as hopeless as the original. This was one of the many things Kaye took issue with, which led to American History X’s controversies that weren’t even related to its subject matter.