Movie Trivia

The lead role was written for Kevin Costner, but he was heavily committed to The Postman (1997), and suggested Harrison Ford for the part.

When Valera gives his thumbprint for a background check near the beginning of the film, the date of birth that comes up among his info (3/21/58) is actor Gary Oldman's real birthday.

The usual Air Force One is one of two modified Boeing 747-200s. To represent it, the filmmakers rented and repainted a Boeing 747-146, which had originally belonged to Japan Air Lines, from the cargo carrier American International Airways (AIA). The paint job cost $300,000. The 747s pilot, Paul Bishop, also came from AIA. See also the goofs entry.

The sequence set at Ramstein AB, Germany, was filmed at Rickenbacker International Airport, Columbus, OH. Because the aircraft had to be visible even though the scene was supposedly taking place at night, a small amount of sky light was required; this restricted filming to two 15-minute intervals each day, at dusk and dawn.

One morning, the frantic activity of taxiing and braking during this period caused the 747's wheels to overheat - triggering a safety device that deflates all the tires rather than risk a blowout.

The shot where the 747 swerves on the ground at Ramstein was performed at half speed.

The final sequence where a cable is extended from an MC-130 to the 747 was filmed near California's Channel Islands. Paul Bishop flew the 747 in formation within a few feet of the MC-130. The camera plane, a modified B-25, had a top speed of about 230 mph, so the sequence was filmed at about 200 mph and the 747 had to be flown with flaps extended. This sequence is a nearly a shot-for-shot copy of a similar air to air rescue involving an MC-130 and a Boeing 747 in Airport 1975 (1974).

The cable really was trailed behind the MC-130, but its connection to the 747 was a special effect.

Harrison Ford told Gary Oldman to actually hit him during the filming of the fight scenes.

When a dummy was put on the cable, the 747's bow wave blew off its coat and tie. Rather than put the plane's engines at risk, the filmmakers decided to use special effects for all shots of the people on the cable.

One day during filming, two F/A-18 fighters appeared and radioed in a surprised report that the plane they'd been asked to identify was Air Force One and there were bullet holes in it. (They were actually decals). The air traffic control center in Los Angeles knew about the filming and was able to set them straight.

Randy Newman's score was cut late in post-production by director Wolfgang Petersen for being "too loud and blatty." Bootleg copies are in circulation.

After Randy Newman's score was rejected, director Wolfgang Petersen hired Jerry Goldsmith to compose the replacement score. The task proved too daunting in the time available, so Goldsmith brought in John Debney to write music for several sequences based on the themes he had already prepared for the film. After the film was released, Goldsmith publicly stated he would never accept a replacement score assignment again.

The outdoor nighttime shots of the military invading Radek's palace were filmed in Cleveland, Ohio. The building that is supposed to be Radek's palace is actually Severance Hall, home to The Cleveland Orchestra. In some shots, you can see part of adjacent Case Western Reserve University's Thwing Center - a student union consisting of a glass atrium between two brick buildings.

The Russian prison where Radek is held during the movie was filmed at the Mansfield Reformatory, the same location as the prison in The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

Distributors wanted a 'PG-13' rating, but were denied it by the MPAA.

Scenes depicting the interior of Radek's Palace were filmed inside the Cuyahoga County Courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The U.S. team runs down the stairs in front of the statue, all in the Courthouse lobby. There is also a scene in a narrow hallway that was filmed in the Courthouse Law Library.

The production was allowed to use CNN's actual Los Angeles studio for its mock CNN segments.

Gary Oldman's (Ivan Korshunov) chilling performance earned him the nickname "Scary Gary" during production.

The painting of the plane used as Air Force One was done at a facility in Amarillo, Texas that specialized in refurbishing older jet planes for use by other airlines.

The filmmakers were denied access to the real Air Force One planes, so they had to rely on descriptions from people who had actually been aboard, and the set designers' imaginations.

Although there are two specific 747s used and maintained by the Air Force for the president's use, the "Air Force One" designation is the air traffic control sign of any US Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States.

The actor Ilia Volok, who plays the first Russian killed by Harrison Ford, stars in an episode of "Friends" (1994) where he plays a Russian Launderette owner who has pictures of famous people on the wall who use his store. Joey tries to get his picture put up but the store owner is offended by how Russians are portrayed in his show. Joey points out that there is a picture of Harrison Ford on the wall and that he was in Air Force One where Russians are terrorists. The owner says he hasn't seen the film and Joey says he should because it's great.

On the DVD commentary for the movie, director Wolfgang Petersen noted that he likely would not have made the film after the 9/11 attacks. The film features Hijackers seize the plane carrying the President of the United States and his family, but he (an ex-soldier) works from hiding to defeat them.

On the DVD commentary if Harrison Ford did not want to play the led role then Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves and Dennis Quaid would be the other choices to play the led role.

SPOILER: Wolfgang Petersen's commentary and some other stories on the movie say that the original script explained that Secret Service Agent Gibbs had been a CIA Spook and had lost a lot due to the end of the Cold War so was angry at the US Government and knew the terrorists from his CIA days. It was decided it took too long to tell so it was cut from the script.

SPOILER: One of the producers wanted Ivan Korshunov to die by being thrown out of the plane by President James Marshall. But the writer thought it would be too obvious, so they stuck with his idea that Marshall snaps Ivan's neck by wrapping a strap around his neck and opening his parachute. Although Marshall releasing his grasp on Ivan was the producer's idea.