- Antonio Banderas initially turned down the film because he found it was all about ballroom dancing. Banderas finally agreed to the contract after hearing the producers explain the story, watching a documentary about it, and meeting dancer Pierre Durain.
- The prototype of the story, Pierre Durain himself, made a cameo appearance as a judge of the dance competition in the film.
- The film was inspired by a report by producer Diane Nabatov about Pierre Durain on the CBS television show "Early Show."
- The film changes the location of the story from the public elementary school in Pierre Durain's real experience to a public high school, and combines the two dance forms.
- Director Liz Friedlander spent a lot of time wandering various campuses in New York, observing how students dressed and interacted with each other, and she hoped to present a more realistic scene on the big screen.
- All the actors in the film went through a month of training and rehearsal to learn dances including tango, merengue, salsa, foxtrot, waltz and hip-hop .
Take the Lead behind the scenes gags
2022-03-01 08:01
Extended Reading
-
Rock: Doctor's note. I can't dance, I have a heart condition.
Pierre Dulaine: Interesting man, your doctor. Not many doctors write notes on three-hole paper.
-
Kurd: Why you gotta be such a ballroom weirdo?