Pete Postlethwaite was heavily criticized by ex-miners for claiming he supported the 1984 strike, but believed people should never burn coal. The last remaining coal mines in the UK closed largely as a result of the 2008 Climate Change Act.
Unlike the other actors in the movie, Ewan McGregor knows how to play an instrument. He played the French horn when he was younger, which is an instrument with similar pitch to the Eb tenor horn his character plays in the movie.
Pete Postlethwaite's final speech was not rehearsed in front of the rest of the cast. This was because the director wanted genuine reactions from everyone on hearing it.
A portion of Pete Postlethwaite's speech at the end of the film was sampled by the British group, Chumbawamba, for the beginning of their 1997 hit "Tubthumping."
The registration number of Gloria's beetle is ORE 601L. ORE & OIL, just what you want as a Quantity Surveyor.
