54 Fun Facts About Almost Famous

In Almost Famous, where does Anita tell William to look for the gift that will 'set you free'?

Under his bed is the stash of rock albums she has kept hidden from their mother, who bans rock music from the house; those records are what set William on the road to music journalism.

For which magazine does teenage William Miller write his first cover story?

Rolling Stone hires the 15-year-old William over the phone, never realizing his age, and sends him on the road with the band for a cover story.

What is the name of the fictional band William tours with in Almost Famous?

Stillwater is the fictional band; a real Southern-rock group of that name from Georgia had to be paid for permission before the film could use it.

Who plays the 15-year-old reporter William Miller in the film Almost Famous?

Patrick Fugit, an unknown from Salt Lake City, knew so little 1970s rock that Crowe handed him a huge stack of CDs to absorb; his voice broke partway through the shoot.

Who plays Penny Lane?

Kate Hudson was first cast as William's sister Anita and was moved into the Penny Lane role late in pre-production; the part earned her an Oscar nomination.

Who plays the band's lead guitarist, Russell Hammond?

Billy Crudup barely played guitar when he was cast, so he spent weeks in a 'rock school' before filming and mimes to a professional's solos on screen.

Who plays the band's lead singer, Jeff Bebe?

Jason Lee plays frontman Jeff Bebe, whose resentment of Russell's growing fame erupts mid-flight, when he blurts out the guitarist's affair with Penny.

Which real rock critic does Philip Seymour Hoffman play?

Lester Bangs, the real Creem critic, becomes William's mentor, paying him $35 for his first assignment and urging him to be 'honest and unmerciful'.

Who plays William's mother, Elaine?

Frances McDormand plays Elaine, a character modelled on Crowe's own mother, who visited the set; he asked her not to bother McDormand, and she cornered the actress anyway.

Who plays William's older sister Anita, who leaves home to become a flight attendant?

Zooey Deschanel plays Anita, who leaves William her hidden rock albums when she moves out; it was one of Deschanel's first film roles, a year after her debut in Mumford.

Which talk-show host plays the professional road manager Dennis Hope?

Jimmy Fallon, then a Saturday Night Live cast member, plays Dennis Hope, the slick manager who moves the band from its bus to a chartered plane.

In Almost Famous, what does Penny Lane call women who follow rock stars for the music?

Band Aids, Penny insists, are there for the music, not to sleep with someone famous; yet she herself is having an affair with the band's guitarist.

Which real band's concert is William sent to cover on his first assignment in Almost Famous?

William is sent to cover a Black Sabbath show; turned away at the backstage door, he gets in with the opening act by praising their music in detail.

Which magazine editor hires William and sends him on the road?

Ben Fong-Torres, played by Terry Chen, hires William without realising he is only 15; the real Fong-Torres was the editor who first hired the teenage Crowe for the same magazine.

What does Russell shout from a rooftop while high at a Topeka house party in Almost Famous?

'I am a golden god!' is Russell's cry from the roof of a fan's house in Topeka; high on acid, he then leaps into the swimming pool below.

In Almost Famous, the band loses Penny Lane and her friends to another group in what?

A poker game with a rival band's road crew costs the band Penny and her friends, staked for $50 and a case of beer shortly before the tour reaches New York.

What does William save Penny from in her New York hotel room?

A quaalude overdose nearly kills Penny after Russell ignores her at the New York party; William keeps her awake until a doctor arrives to pump her stomach.

What prompts William, Russell and the band to confess their secrets mid-flight?

A storm makes them fear a crash, so secrets pour out before the plane lands safely in Tupelo; William uses the moment to defend Penny after Jeff insults her.

Why does the magazine at first kill William's article in Almost Famous?

Russell denies it to the fact-checker, claiming most of the story is false, so the editors drop it; he later tells them it was all true, and it runs on the cover.

Where does Penny Lane finally travel at the end of Almost Famous?

Morocco is the trip Penny has talked about since meeting William; she finally leaves for it after sending Russell to William's house instead of her own.

Which Elton John song does the whole tour bus sing along to in Almost Famous?

'Tiny Dancer' comes on the bus radio the morning after Russell's rooftop stunt, and one by one the sulking band joins in until the bad blood dissolves.

Which Academy Award did Almost Famous win?

Best Original Screenplay was the film's only win from four nominations, and Crowe's script beat that of Gladiator, the night's Best Picture winner.

Which award did the actress playing Penny Lane win for Almost Famous?

For Penny Lane she won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in January 2001 but lost the Oscar to Marcia Gay Harden; the film also took the Globe for Best Musical or Comedy.

How did Almost Famous fare at the box office?

Lost money: it took about $47 million worldwide against a budget of roughly $60 million, despite some of the best reviews of 2000.

Which critic named Almost Famous the best film of 2000 and the ninth-best of the decade?

Roger Ebert gave it four stars and ended his review by asking why a film so perfect for teenagers had been given an R rating.

Which 1970s rock star was technical consultant on Almost Famous and co-wrote two of the band's songs?

Peter Frampton, whose live album once carried liner notes by the teenage Crowe, ran a 'rock school' for the actors and has a cameo as a roadie named Reg.

For Almost Famous, Crowe wrote songs for the band with his then-wife, a guitarist in which group?

Heart's Nancy Wilson, then married to Crowe, also composed the film's score and played on the fictional band's recordings.

Which Pearl Jam guitarist played the lead guitar heard on the Almost Famous band's songs?

Mike McCready supplied the solos Russell appears to play; Crowe knew Pearl Jam from Singles (1992), in which three of McCready's bandmates played a fictional group.

Jerry Cantrell, who turned down the bassist role in Almost Famous, plays guitar in which Seattle band?

Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, a friend of Crowe's who had appeared in Singles and Jerry Maguire, passed on the part because he was busy writing a solo album.

Which band gave Crowe song rights only after he screened the film for two members in London?

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page had at first refused the teenage Crowe an interview out of dislike for his magazine; decades later he and a bandmate watched the film in London and cleared five songs.

Which rock anthem was refused for an Almost Famous scene, leaving a silent DVD extra that tells viewers to play it themselves?

'Stairway to Heaven' was withheld, so the deleted scene, in which William plays the song to win his mother over, runs silent with a cue to start your own copy.

In My Cross to Bear, which musician said scenes drew on Crowe's time with his band?

Gregg Allman's memoir says the leap from a roof into a pool was really his brother Duane's, a tale the band told so often that he is sure the young Crowe heard it.

Which actress was originally cast as Penny Lane before dropping out?

Sarah Polley, the Canadian actress from The Sweet Hereafter (1997), was cast as Penny Lane but withdrew before filming; the role went to the actress first cast as Anita.

What is the 2001 extended DVD edition of Almost Famous, with about 40 extra minutes, known as?

The Bootleg Cut is formally titled 'Untitled', the name Crowe had wanted for the film itself; it restores about 40 minutes, for a running time of two hours and 42 minutes.

In which Grammy category did the Almost Famous soundtrack win in 2001?

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album went to the film's collection of 1970s songs, with Crowe named as a producer: the former rock critic had become a Grammy winner himself.

Which Simon & Garfunkel song opens the Almost Famous soundtrack album?

'America' is the song Anita plays for her mother to explain why she is leaving home; it is also the first track on the soundtrack album.

What is the fictional band's signature song on the Almost Famous soundtrack album?

'Fever Dog' is credited on screen to Russell Hammond, the fictional guitarist; Crowe and his then-wife actually wrote it, signing their songs with characters' names.

In which city does Almost Famous open in 1969?

The film opens in San Diego in 1969, the city where Crowe himself grew up and wrote his first reviews for a local underground paper as a teenager.

In Almost Famous, in which city are the magazine's offices where William turns in his story?

San Francisco was the magazine's home in 1973; the film rebuilt its offices so exactly that a man who had worked on the real ones as a carpenter thought he had built the set.

Which real magazine founder has a cameo as a taxi passenger in Almost Famous?

Jann Wenner appears for a moment as a cab passenger, while actor Eion Bailey plays his younger self in the story's office scenes.

Which future star of The Office plays magazine writer David Felton?

Rainn Wilson, later Dwight Schrute, plays staffer David Felton; another bit player, Marc Maron, shouts 'Lock the gates!', the line that went on to open every episode of his podcast.

In Almost Famous, Anita's note tells William to listen to which album 'with a candle burning'?

Tommy, The Who's rock opera, carries Anita's note promising that he will see his entire future; her hidden albums are what turn William into a rock obsessive.

Crowe spent a year undercover as a teenage student to write which 1980s comedy?

Fast Times at Ridgemont High grew from the book Crowe wrote after spending a year at a high school at 22, passing for a student on his youthful looks.

In Almost Famous, which rock star does Dennis Hope say won't still be chasing stardom at fifty?

Mick Jagger is the manager's proof that rock careers are short and the band must cash in now; the joke is on him, since Jagger was still leading stadium tours in 2024.

Which A-list actor was originally set to play Russell Hammond before dropping out during rehearsals?

Brad Pitt spent four months preparing to play Russell before backing out; Crowe said he wept, though he felt Pitt had never fully fallen in love with the character.

Which rock singer's boast from a Sunset Strip hotel balcony inspired Russell's rooftop cry?

Robert Plant is said to have shouted the line from a balcony of the 'Riot House', the Continental Hyatt House; Crowe shot the film's scenes of that hotel in the real building.

The real Pennie Lane Trumbull's group of female promoters called themselves what?

The Flying Garter Girls were led by Pennie Trumbull of Portland, Oregon; she later left the rock scene, earned an MBA and ran her own marketing firm.

In Almost Famous, what nickname does the band give William because he is a rock journalist?

The Enemy is the band's half-joking name for a writer who might make them look bad in print, and they keep using it even after letting William into their inner circle.

The real Georgia band whose name Almost Famous had to license recorded for which Macon label?

Capricorn Records released the real group's two albums in the late 1970s; when the film asked to use its name for free, the band held out until it was paid.

Who plays Dick Roswell, the band's manager?

Noah Taylor plays Dick Roswell, the band's harried manager, who is sidelined once Dennis Hope is brought in to handle venues and promoters.

In Almost Famous, William's mentor says the only true currency is what you share when you're what?

Uncool is his mentor's badge of honour: on a late-night call he tells William that good-looking people get the girls, but their art never lasts.

What is Penny Lane's real name, which she finally reveals to William?

Lady Goodman is the name Penny Lane gives William only after he has saved her life in New York; until then she guards it behind a stage name taken from a song.

Which composer wrote the music for the Broadway musical of Almost Famous?

Tom Kitt, the Pulitzer-winning composer of Next to Normal, wrote the score; the show closed two months after opening on Broadway, yet the score still earned a Tony nomination.

In Almost Famous, what does William's mentor insist he cannot do with rock stars?

Make friends with them is exactly what William goes on to do, and his mentor later calls such friendship 'the booze they feed you', meant to make a writer feel he belongs.