Malcolm X (film)/Trivia


 * Actor Allusion: The late Al Freeman, Jr., who plays Elijah Muhammad, played Malcolm X in Roots: The Next Generations.
 * Dawson Casting: Malcolm is in his late teens when the film starts, but played by the then-30-something Denzel Washington. Justified as he continued to play Malcolm throughout the duration of the movie and the rest of Malcolm's life.
 * Executive Meddling: The studio demanded the film not be longer than 2 hours, 15 minutes and the budget not higher than around 32 million dollars. Luckily, multiple prominent African-Americans stepped in to donate money so Lee could make the film as long as he wanted.