- The film is the third time that starring Michael Fassbender has collaborated with Steve McQueen. The first two were "Hunger" and "Shame". McQueen only directed these three feature films at the time.
- This is the third collaboration between Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt. The first two were "Shameless Bastard" and "Black Gold Murder". Among them, "Black Gold Murder" will be released after the film.
- Tyron Killham, who plays Hamilton, is a comedian who often plays Brad Pitt in SNL. Although they all starred in this movie, Tyronn Killham has never seen Pete on the set.
- This movie is Steve McQueen’s first movie with more than one word in the title. His previous films, such as "Hunger" and "Shame" have only one word in the title.
- Quivin Zani Wallis and Dwight Henry both appeared in this movie, and before that, they had collaborated on "The Beast of the South". More coincidentally, "The Beast of the South" is their film debut.
- The story told in the film was once made into a TV movie in 1984 with the title "American Theater: Solomon Northup's Odyssey." And the one who plays Solomon Northup is Avery Brooks.
- "Twelve Years as a Slave" was selected as the top film of the year by well-known film critics from more than 20 authoritative American media such as "Rolling Stone", "Entertainment Weekly", "Washington Post", "New York Times", and "Variety Show".
12 Years a Slave behind the scenes gags
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Mistress Ford: [to Eliza] Something to eat and some rest; your children will soon enough be forgotten.
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Tibeats: My name is John Tibeats, William Ford's chief carpenter. You will refer to me as Master. Mister Chapin is the overseer on this plantation. He is responsible for all of Ford's property. You too will refer to him as Master. This plantation covers many hundreds of acres, and you will traverse the Texas road between the forest site and the sawmill in double time. Any clever nigger on that path that gets a little light-footed, I will remind him that on one side men and bloodhounds patrol the border and on the other the bayou provides a hard living, with alligators and little to eat or drink that won't kill you. No slave has escaped here with his life. You're here to work niggers, so let's commence.