1. A New Director to the Rescue

Donald Petrie stepped successful astatine the past minute, replacing the erstwhile manager conscionable 7 weeks anterior to the commencement of filming. Sandra Bullock and Michael Caine were already cast, and that was each helium needed to cognize earlier saying yes. "I person nary idea, frankly, wherefore helium near the project," Donald told E! News successful the exclusive interview. "The main attraction for maine was Sandra Bullock."

2. When successful Doubt, Pitch Lethal Weapon Starring Sandra Bullock

The erstwhile manager was seemingly trying to marque the movie arsenic a "spoof drama astir pageants," whereas the imaginativeness Donald pitched to execs astatine Castle Rock and to Sandra was to marque it an enactment drama on the lines of Lethal Weapon but with Sandra arsenic the tough-as-nails pb à la Mel Gibson. "In my opinion, if you instrumentality a pageant perfectly seriously, that's funny," Donald said. "If you effort to marque a gag of a joke, that's not funny."

3. Ellen DeGeneres Was the Original Miss Congeniality? 

Ellen DeGeneres told Parade in 2014 that inspiration struck for the film's writer aft seeing TV footage of the speech amusement big rehearsing successful heels and a formal up of her Emmys hosting gig. "Miss Congeniality was written based connected me," Ellen said astatine the time.

Any information to that? The manager called himself a immense instrumentality of Ellen's but says helium wasn't alert of this root story, telling E! News, "That would beryllium a Sandy question."

4. There's Something About Benjamin Bratt

Matt Dillon, who was a blistery commodity pursuing the occurrence of 1998's There's Something About Mary, came adjacent to landing the relation of Gracie's partner, Eric Matthews. The portion yet went to Benjamin Bratt, who had a "comfort level" already established with Sandra, having antecedently co-starred with her successful 1993's Demolition Man. 

Donald remembered helium and Sandra liking Matt a lot, but the Wild Things star "wanted to beef up that role." As the manager explained, "It was pugnacious due to the fact that you needed idiosyncratic who could truly beryllium genuinely an FBI agent, and yet didn't caput being 2nd banana to Sandy. And often, large actors privation to beryllium the archetypal banana."

5. Hair Today, Blonde Tomorrow 

The pivotal relation of Miss Rhode Island, who becomes a trusted confidante for Gracie, went to Heather Burns. She had consecutive brownish hairsbreadth erstwhile she auditioned, but was asked to dye it blonde for the movie successful bid to differentiate visually from Sandra. As Donald reasoned, "I didn't privation anyone to beryllium successful the arena that was Sandy."

6. Sandra's Bra Gag Pays Off 

Among the director's favourite moments is a country successful which Sandra tin beryllium spotted successful the inheritance sticking donuts successful her bra, though the assemblage doesn't cognize to ticker her until Gracie gets called retired moments aboriginal for pilfering the treats. "Michael Caine and Benjamin Bratt are arguing, and she's close successful the inheritance successful betwixt them putting those donuts successful her bra," helium said. "The assemblage ne'er notices."

7. And the Award for Most Likely to Become a Real Housewife Goes To ...

LeeAnne Locken doesn't get overmuch surface clip successful the tiny of relation of Miss Nebraska. In fact, Donald was shocked to larn she aboriginal went connected to articulation the formed of The Real Housewives of Dallas. "I didn't cognize that!" helium exclaimed, though he admittedly didn't callback overmuch astir their interactions.

8. 50 Is a Big Number

Donald admitted that they didn't formed the afloat fig of actresses to play contestants representing each 50 states, with the existent fig being person to 40. "In a wide shot, who is going to go, 'Hey, determination aren't capable girls up there!'" he quipped.

9. A Gilmore Girls Star Ended Up connected the Cutting Room Floor

In archetypal trial screenings, the movie included a country successful which Gracie shows up precocious to her father's wedding. Her dada was played by the late Edward Herrmann, possibly champion known as Richard Gilmore on Gilmore Girls. The histrion was a "dear friend," Donald said, but his scenes didn't marque the last edit. "It's a precise comic scene," the director recalled, and it made the trailer contempt not appearing successful the existent film. "It's 1 of those things wherever we're conscionable excessively long."

10. Craft Service Wasn't Much Fun

With little than a period near earlier shooting, Donald took each of the pageant contestants aside, Sandra included, to chat astir the potential challenges of the film's premise. "I said, 'I privation you to cognize that we're going to commencement shooting successful astir 3 weeks, and I'm not gonna beryllium connected camera successful a bathing suit, but you are.' And they each benignant of went, 'Oh, my God, yes,'" helium told E! News. "So the craft-service array connected the acceptable was not arsenic popular. We kept it stocked with nice, steadfast stuff."

11. Sandra Has a New Fallback Career?

Los Lobos' screen of "Mustang Sally" plays during the film's makeover montage and Sandra herself performed the tambourine connected the song. "It was like, 'Everybody instrumentality an instrument,'" said Donald, who himself played a shaker connected the recording. "She was progressive successful each measurement of each spot of that movie." 

12. If You're Fighting With Sandra, Be Sure to Wear a Cup

In the archetypal fractional of the film, erstwhile Eric wrestles with Gracie successful the gym to person her to enactment successful the quality pageant, Benjamin needed to halt the country due to the fact that Sandra accidentally deed him successful the crotch. "It was the country wherever they benignant of rotation into a position, and helium stopped it with, 'Oh, my God! You got my testicles.' And we conscionable had to stop," Donald recalled with a hearty laugh. "She managed to clip him right successful the cojones." 

13. Sandra Did All of Her Own Stunts

The manager joked that Sandra and Benjamin are "still huffy astatine me" for not utilizing stunt doubles successful the film. "Benjamin is like, 'My backmost has ne'er been the same,'" Donald said with a laugh. "They got more than a fewer bruises and sore muscles from shooting that wrestling match." 

14. The Opening Scene Wasn't successful the Script

Screenwriter Marc Lawrence had been moving connected the task for years, implicit the people of dozens of antithetic drafts. During an offhand chat with the director, Marc mentioned that a erstwhile mentation had started with the country that ended up opening the last film, successful which a grade-school Gracie beats up a bully and past beats up the unfortunate arsenic well. Donald knew that this was the cleanable opening and needed to beryllium added to the shooting script. 

15. The Snort Was Rooted successful Reality

Gracie becomes known for snorting portion she laughs, but that wasn't successful the script. Donald recalled being astatine a meal with the histrion wherever helium said thing and she reacted by snorting, and helium exclaimed, "Oh! Keep that!" 

16. How Do You Make Sandra Bullock Look Like She's Not a Beauty Queen?

A cardinal portion of getting the movie to enactment was figuring retired however to marque Sandra someway look little gorgeous successful the archetypal 3rd of the film, which they achieved with a operation of her ain acting positive a small assistance from makeup, hairsbreadth and lighting. "Sandy utilized to kid astir the information that her constitution lone took a half-hour to marque her look ugly, but it took 2 and a fractional hours to make her look beautiful," helium said. "I disagree with that. She could person arrived connected acceptable with nary makeup. All you person to bash is brushwood her hair, and she is stunningly beautiful."

17. Sandra Wanted Food successful Her Teeth

A memorable aboriginal country features Michael Caine's quality taking Gracie out for steak, in which the British pageant adept expresses his annoyance astatine seeing a "half-masticated cow, rolling astir successful your wide-open trap."

As Donald remembered astir the actress, "She wanted to person a portion of steak caught betwixt her teeth truthful she could suck astatine it. I retrieve them taking dental floss, which you would usually usage to get worldly retired of your teeth, but utilizing it to propulsion steak successful betwixt her teeth."  

18. The Trailer's Most Memorable Moment Was a Sandy Ad-Lib

Gracie teases Eric successful the movie by flirtatiously singing, "You deliberation I'm gorgeous, you privation to day me," which was a item of the trailer. As it turns out, that recurring infinitesimal was unscripted, and it each came from Sandra. "She perfectly did that," Donald shared. 

19. Sandra's Kiss That Wasn't Meant to Be

In that flirty country erstwhile Gracie archetypal sings, "You privation to buss me," the brace were indeed expected to share a smooch after that. The manager filmed the country with them kissing, and besides filmed a mentation wherever Eric leans successful for a buss and alternatively bites a candy bar, and that's the 1 that made it into the film. "I said, 'I deliberation it's excessively aboriginal successful the movie for them to beryllium kissing,'" Donald recalled.

20. The Classic "Perfect Date" Line Has Special Significance

Every twelvemonth connected April 25, memes popular up to observe the film's beloved punctuation from Miss Rhode Island astir the "perfect date," which she mistakenly interprets arsenic her favourite time connected the calendar alternatively than her perfect romanticist outing. As it turns out, screenwriter Marc Lawrence wrote the line, but Donald tweaked it by changing the day to his ain wife's birthday. 

"I conscionable said, 'Could it beryllium April 25th? That's my wife's birthday,'" the manager revealed. "So I'm precise blessed that each twelvemonth connected her birthday, determination are each these memes going about."

21. Getting the Last Laugh

Donald said helium intentionally includes other scenes successful aboriginal cuts of his films, conscionable successful lawsuit thing pops with audiences that helium wasn't expecting, truthful critics are ne'er invited to those screenings. But, the manager remembered, movie blogger Harry Knowles snuck into a trial screening and "gave it the astir scathing, worst reappraisal of immoderate movie ever, including calling maine retired for having personally ruined Sandy Bullock's career."

Luckily, the workplace appeared to beryllium unfazed by the aboriginal antagonistic buzz, and yet the movie was inactive a hit, grossing $212 cardinal worldwide from a fund of $45 million. "The lone happening I tin say," Donald said, "is that I'm definite gladsome the movie went connected to beryllium a immense occurrence and benignant of a classical comedy, earning large bucks, truthful that I tin benignant of mildly flip my digit astatine that reappraisal and go, 'Heh, heh!'"

22. The 20-Year Difference

Donald was speedy to constituent retired that elements of the film, including Gracie's co-workers speaking dismissively of her and imagining what she would look similar successful skimpy clothing, would astir apt not stay successful the movie if it were made today. "Absolutely, I deliberation it would change," helium said of definite scenes. "It was 20 years ago, agelong earlier #MeToo and overmuch alteration successful cognition toward the solid ceiling. A batch of it would enactment the same, but you would decidedly person to code definite pieces successful bid to bring it into today's zeitgeist."

Of course, 1 infinitesimal that surely feels forward-thinking was a country toward the extremity successful which a Black contestant comes retired arsenic cheery and professes her emotion for her girlfriend. Donald said helium ever hopes that his films volition consciousness motivated by a "higher purpose," which helium sees this infinitesimal arsenic achieving. "I person to recognition the writer Marc Lawrence, and so Sandy, for putting that successful the script, and I loved it."

23. A Different Director Helmed the Sequel

Donald opted not to nonstop 2005's follow-up, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, which was not arsenic well-received arsenic the original. "For me, arsenic the director, I deliberation there's not a batch of upside to that," said Donald astir making sequels. He pointed retired that he directed the 1993 hit Grumpy Old Men but likewise skipped its sequel, Grumpier Old Men.

Whether Miss Congeniality could ever get rebooted, arsenic is presently happening with the likewise themed 1999 flick She's All That, Donald admitted, "I don't deliberation it would beryllium the aforesaid without Sandy." 

24. The Movie Gets Chandler's Stamp of Approval

Donald was convinced that the movie had made an interaction after Matthew Perry's Chandler defends his emotion for the movie successful a 2003 occurrence of Friends. "I knew we'd go popular civilization because Friends did an episode," the director said.

25. The Rom-Com Market Isn't What It Was successful 2000

Donald stressed that it is overmuch tougher to get a rom-com made these days, fto unsocial to get a theatrical merchandise for it, than it was when Miss Congeniality became a hit. "For the past fewer years, until Netflix came along, rom-coms went the mode of the Western," helium said. "Nobody was making a rom-com."

Despite a spot of a resurgence for the genre, helium isn't convinced that rom-coms volition again person a theatrical heyday anytime soon. "The streaming sites were a menace before, but COVID has lone cemented their power," Donald lamented.