48 Fun Facts About Uncut Gems

Which brothers directed Uncut Gems?

The Safdies had been developing a movie about Manhattan's jewelers since 2009, drawing on their father's years as a diamond salesman.

What is the name of the jeweler Adam Sandler plays?

Howard is a jeweler and gambling addict trying to turn one rare stone into a way out of his debts.

What kind of gemstone drives the plot of Uncut Gems?

The stone is a black opal, dug from an African mine in the film's 2010 prologue; Howard believes it could fetch over a million dollars at auction.

Which real NBA star plays a fictionalized version of himself in Uncut Gems?

Garnett was cast in September 2018 after several active players fell through, and his performance was praised as one of the best ever by an athlete.

In what part of New York City is Howard's jewelry store located?

Howard's store sits in Manhattan's Diamond District on West 47th Street, the block where the Safdies' father worked as a diamond salesman and which they had wanted to film since 2009.

Which studio distributed Uncut Gems in United States theaters?

A24 handled the domestic release while Netflix took the international rights and streamed it abroad from January 2020.

Which musician plays himself hosting a nightclub party in the film?

The Weeknd plays a younger, arrogant version of himself performing at a Manhattan club, where Howard catches him with Julia; the singer asked the Safdies to portray him as an egotistical punk.

Which actress made her feature-film debut as Howard's employee and mistress?

Roughly 300 actresses auditioned for the part, and it became Fox's breakthrough role, earning a Gotham Award nomination.

Which Broadway star plays Howard's wife, Dinah?

Menzel joined the project in autumn 2018 alongside Eric Bogosian and Judd Hirsch.

Who plays Demany, the associate who brings clients into Howard's store?

LaKeith Stanfield plays Demany, the hustler who brings Kevin Garnett into Howard's store on the very day the opal arrives and brokers the loan of the stone.

What does Garnett leave with Howard as collateral when he borrows the opal?

Garnett leaves his 2008 Celtics championship ring; Howard immediately pawns the ring to fund a six-way parlay on that night's Celtics game.

How is Arno related to Howard?

Arno is Howard's brother-in-law, family by marriage, which is why he turns up at Ratner family gatherings while his goons chase Howard's debt; Eric Bogosian plays him.

From which country is the opal smuggled at the start of the film?

The opal comes from the Welo mining region of Ethiopia; the 2010 prologue shows miners digging it out before it is smuggled to Howard in New York.

What is the name of Howard's jewelry store?

The store is KMH, and its double security doors become the film's final trap when Howard locks Arno and his goons between them to watch the Celtics game.

How much money does Howard owe Arno at the start of the film?

Howard owes Arno $100,000, and Arno stops the winning parlay because the stake was made with money that was already owed to him.

Where do Arno's goons ambush Howard, strip him naked and lock him in his own car trunk?

The goons grab Howard at his daughter's school play, strip him and lock him in his car trunk in the parking lot; he has to call Dinah to let him out.

Which Jewish holiday dinner does Howard sit through with his family during the film?

The family gathers for the Passover seder; Dinah has agreed to divorce Howard after Passover, and at the seder she rejects his plea for another chance.

How much would Howard's first big parlay have paid out before Arno stopped the bet?

The six-way parlay would have paid about $600,000; Arno reveals he had it cancelled because Howard placed it with money he already owed him.

How much does Garnett offer to pay for the opal before the auction?

Garnett offers $175,000, which Howard refuses because he believes the opal is worth over a million; the auction house then appraises it far lower than his estimate.

Whom does Howard recruit to bid at the auction to drive up the opal's price?

The plan backfires when Garnett refuses to top Gooey's final bid, leaving the family holding its own stone.

Where does Julia go to place Howard's final bet?

She gets there by helicopter while Howard keeps Arno and the goons locked between the security doors back at the store.

How much does Howard win on the final parlay?

The three-way parlay on Garnett and the Celtics pays about $1.2 million; Julia collects the winnings at the casino, but Howard is shot dead back at the store moments after celebrating.

Who shoots Howard at the end of the film?

Phil then shoots Arno too when he protests, and loots the store with Nico as Julia leaves the casino.

Who composed the score for Uncut Gems?

Daniel Lopatin, the electronic musician who records as Oneohtrix Point Never, composed the film's synth-driven score, which was released on Warp Records.

Which legendary director served as an executive producer on Uncut Gems?

Martin Scorsese came aboard as executive producer, and the Safdies said his name on the project finally made actors take the script seriously.

Which actor was cast as Howard in 2017 before dropping out to direct Mid90s?

The Safdies had tried rewriting Howard younger for him; Sandler took over in April 2018.

Which earlier Safdie film convinced Adam Sandler to finally take the role?

Seeing Good Time, the Safdies' 2017 Robert Pattinson thriller, persuaded Sandler; his team had passed on the script twice before.

Which NBA player was the Safdies originally writing the basketball role for?

The Safdies first wrote the part for Kobe Bryant, building the plot around his 61-point game at Madison Square Garden in February 2009, then the arena's scoring record.

Which then-active NBA player agreed to appear but dropped out when filming moved into the season?

Joel Embiid had agreed to play the basketball star, but the shoot slid into the NBA season, so the Safdies turned to retired players and landed on Kevin Garnett.

Who was the cinematographer on Uncut Gems?

Darius Khondji, the cinematographer of Se7en and Delicatessen, shot Uncut Gems largely on 35 mm film with anamorphic lenses, aiming for a gaudy, claustrophobic look.

Which country stood in for the African mine in the opening sequence?

The African prologue was shot in South Africa, in the old copper-mining town of O'Kiep in the Northern Cape, standing in for an Ethiopian opal mine.

At which festival did Uncut Gems have its world premiere?

Uncut Gems premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019, then played Toronto and the New York Film Festival before its December release.

On what date did Uncut Gems go into wide release in the United States?

Its Christmas Day opening set the biggest single-day gross in A24 history.

Which film knocked Uncut Gems off its perch as A24's highest-grossing domestic release?

Everything Everywhere All at Once passed it in 2022; Uncut Gems had finished with roughly $50 million domestically, edging Lady Bird for A24's record.

What CinemaScore grade did audiences give Uncut Gems in wide release?

Audiences gave Uncut Gems a C+ CinemaScore, a poor grade for an acclaimed film; its bleak ending and Sandler's abrasive hero were widely blamed.

Which two Independent Spirit Awards did Uncut Gems win for its directors and star?

At the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards the Safdies won Best Director and Adam Sandler Best Male Lead; Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie also took Best Editing.

Which actress provides the uncredited voice of the auction manager?

Tilda Swinton, uncredited, voices the auction-house manager who deals with Howard over the phone about the opal's appraisal.

Which NBA coach wrote and voiced a pep talk heard in the film?

Doc Rivers, who coached Kevin Garnett on the 2008 champion Celtics, wrote and recorded the locker-room pep talk heard during the film's game scenes.

Which Guardians of the Galaxy actress had most of her scenes cut, leaving a brief cameo?

Pom Klementieff, Mantis in the Guardians films, shot a larger role as Julia's friend Lexis, but most of it was cut, leaving a brief cameo.

Which Pixar sequel borrowed camera work and framing from Uncut Gems for its anxiety scenes?

Inside Out 2's director Kelsey Mann cited Uncut Gems as a visual reference for the sequences where Anxiety seizes control of Riley's mind during her hockey camp.

Which home-video label released Uncut Gems on disc in 2021?

The Criterion Collection released Uncut Gems on Blu-ray in 2021, a rare spine-numbered edition for a film only two years old.

What was the record-setting per-theater average of Uncut Gems in its first limited-release weekend?

Uncut Gems averaged $107,448 from five theaters over December 13-15, 2019, the best per-venue opening in A24 history and second of the year behind Parasite.

What 2020 short film reunited the Safdies with Adam Sandler after Uncut Gems?

Goldman v. Silverman, a short released in January 2020, stars Sandler as Rod Goldman, a gold-painted Times Square street performer feuding with a silver-painted rival.

Which sports-radio host plays Gary, Howard's bookie?

Mike Francesa, the longtime WFAN host, plays Howard's bookie Gary; the Safdies also cast real Diamond District jewelers in small roles for authenticity.

In which year is the main action of Uncut Gems set?

The main story is set in 2012, during the NBA playoffs; the opening mine sequence takes place two years earlier, in 2010.

Which NBA team do the Celtics face in the playoff games Howard bets on?

Howard's bets ride on the Celtics' 2012 second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, with the final parlay on Game 7 and Garnett's performance.

Which actress voices the uncredited cameo as a Boston Celtics staff member?

Natasha Lyonne provides the uncredited voice of a Celtics staff member; John Amos also appears, playing himself as a neighbour in Howard's building.

How much did Uncut Gems gross on Christmas Day 2019, its first day of wide release?

Uncut Gems took $5.9 million on December 25, 2019, including $1.1 million from Christmas Eve previews, then an A24 single-day record; it finished with about $50 million domestically.