50 Fun Facts About She's the Man

She's the Man is a modern retelling of which Shakespeare play?

The same screenwriting duo had already modernised The Taming of the Shrew as 10 Things I Hate About You.

What is the name of the elite boarding school Viola infiltrates while posing as her brother?

In the play, Illyria is the coast where Viola is shipwrecked; historically it was a region of the western Balkans.

Which school does Viola originally attend, and later beat in the climactic soccer match?

The whole scheme starts because the school cuts its girls' soccer team and the boys' coach refuses to let the girls try out.

Viola's dream is to play college soccer for which team?

North Carolina is a real women's soccer powerhouse, which makes the choice a plausible one for a talented player.

Where does the real Sebastian secretly go instead of enrolling at his new school?

He was expelled from his old school for skipping classes, which is why he had to change schools in the first place.

Who transforms Viola into 'Sebastian' with a makeover?

Paul later stages a scene at the pizzeria to make 'Sebastian' look like a ladies' man in front of the team.

What is the name of the local pizzeria where Paul stages his scene and where the double date takes place?

Cesario is the name Viola takes when disguised as a boy in the original play.

Which position on the team is Viola initially assigned after failing to impress at tryouts?

She strikes a deal: Duke trains her to be a better player, and she puts in a good word for him with Olivia.

Malcolm, the nerd investigating 'Sebastian', has a tarantula named after which character from the play?

Malcolm's own surname, Festes, nods to Feste, the fool in the play.

Duke is dismayed to be assigned which classmate as his lab partner?

By the end of the film Eunice is dating Duke's friend Toby.

At the Junior League carnival, at which attraction does Viola end up locking lips with Duke?

Duke then gets into a fight with Viola's ex, Justin, at the same carnival.

How does Viola finally prove to everyone on the pitch that she is a girl?

Minutes earlier the real Sebastian had proved his identity to the principal by dropping his pants.

What social event does Viola's mother Daphne want her to take part in throughout the film?

The film ends at the ball, where Viola arrives on Duke's arm and Olivia on the real Sebastian's.

Which actor plays Duke Orsino?

It was one of two breakout films for him in 2006; the other was Step Up.

According to Amanda Bynes, why did producers hesitate to hire Tatum?

Bynes fought for him anyway after seeing him in a Mountain Dew commercial, insisting 'every girl will love him'.

To prepare for playing a boy, Bynes and director Andy Fickman studied male behaviour where?

She later admitted that seeing herself on screen with sideburns sent her into a months-long depression.

Which former professional footballer plays Coach Dinklage?

He was a genuine hard man of English football and won the FA Cup with Wimbledon in 1988.

Who plays Principal Horatio Gold?

At the time he was mid-run as Tobias Fünke on Arrested Development.

Julie Hagerty, who plays Viola's mother Daphne, played flight attendant Elaine in which comedy classic?

She was cast opposite Robert Hays in the 1980 parody and returned for the sequel.

Robert Hoffman (Viola's ex Justin) starred as Chase Collins in which dance sequel?

He and co-star Briana Evigan won the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss for it.

Alexandra Breckenridge, who plays Monique, later starred as Mel Monroe in which series?

She was also Jessie Anderson on The Walking Dead and voices characters on Family Guy.

Amanda Crew, who plays Viola's friend Kia, later played Monica Hall on which HBO comedy?

She is Canadian, born in Langley, British Columbia, like several of the film's supporting cast.

Jessica Lucas, who plays Yvonne, went on to appear in which 2008 found-footage monster movie?

She was born and raised in Vancouver, where much of She's the Man was shot.

Emily Perkins, who plays Eunice, is known to horror fans as Brigitte in which Canadian werewolf film?

She also played young Beverly Marsh in the 1990 TV version of Stephen King's It.

Laura Ramsey, who plays Olivia, was discovered while working where?

That first audition landed her a part in The Real Cancun, a 2003 reality-style documentary.

The screenwriters of She's the Man, Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith, also wrote which 2001 comedy?

They wrote 10 Things I Hate About You by mailing draft pages to each other from separate cities.

Director Andy Fickman followed She's the Man with which 2007 Dwayne Johnson comedy?

He also directed the stage premiere of the Reefer Madness musical and productions of Heathers: The Musical.

Roughly how much did She's the Man gross worldwide?

It opened at number four in North America with $10.7 million on its first weekend.

At what position did She's the Man open at the North American box office?

Reviews were mixed, but audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a B+.

What score did She's the Man hold on Rotten Tomatoes as of 2025?

As of 2025 the critics' consensus complained that Shakespeare's wit got lost in the slapstick, but Bynes's performance was widely praised.

At what age did Roger Ebert say Tatum was 'a little old to play a high school kid'?

Ebert was kinder to Bynes, calling her 'sunny and plucky' and concluding 'we like her'.

When did She's the Man first come out on Blu-ray, marking its 15th anniversary?

The DVD had come out in June 2006 in both widescreen and fullscreen editions.

Which Nickelodeon sketch show gave Amanda Bynes her own spin-off, The Amanda Show?

A Nickelodeon producer had spotted her performing stand-up at the Laugh Factory.

In which 2007 movie musical did Amanda Bynes play Penny Pingleton?

Her last film before retiring from acting was Easy A in 2010.

Tatum's first paid performing job, for $400, was as a dancer in a music video for which singer?

Before that he had worked as a roofer and, briefly, as a stripper under the name Chan Crawford, the seed of Magic Mike.

In which state was Tatum born?

He went to Glenville State College in West Virginia on a football scholarship but dropped out.

The actor who plays Coach Dinklage holds football's fastest booking. How soon after kick-off was he cautioned?

He was playing for Chelsea against Sheffield United, and joked in his autobiography that he 'could hardly have been too bloody late'.

In the Shakespeare play the film is based on, how are the twins Viola and Sebastian separated?

The film swaps the shipwreck for a brother sneaking off to London and a sister with a wig.

In the play, what name does Viola take when she disguises herself as a young man?

The movie borrows the name for the pizzeria where much of the plotting happens.

In the play, the forged letter tricks Olivia's pompous steward into wearing what to impress her?

The prank is cooked up by Maria, Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, whose names the film's Maria, Toby and Andrew echo.

When was the first documented public performance of the Shakespeare play the film is based on?

The play was not printed until the First Folio of 1623.

Which sport does Viola disguise herself as her brother in order to play at Illyria?

Neither Bynes nor Tatum could really play, so they practised for hours every day before filming.

How does the real Sebastian prove who he is when Monique and Malcolm try to expose him?

He then dumps Monique, discovers Viola's disguise, and the twins swap places for the second half.

Who is the man at Cornwall Prep who refuses to let the girls try out for the boys' team?

Viola's boyfriend Justin backs the coach, which ends their relationship and sets up her mission to beat Cornwall.

What is the name of Viola and Sebastian's father, who is divorced from their mother Daphne?

Viola tricks Daphne into thinking Sebastian is staying at his house; the parents make up at a dinner near the end.

Which of Duke's friends ends up dating the nerdy Eunice Bates by the end of the film?

Brandon Jay McLaren plays Toby, while Clifton Murray plays Duke's other pal Andrew.

Which actor plays the real Sebastian Hastings, Viola's twin brother?

Sebastian spends most of the film in London with his band, returning a day early to wreck Viola's plans.

According to Bynes, the then-unknown Channing Tatum had just done a commercial for which brand?

She told Paper in 2018 she fought for him because 'every girl will love him', over producers' worries about his age.

In 2018 Bynes said that seeing herself as a boy in the finished film triggered what?

She called seeing herself with short hair, thick eyebrows and sideburns 'a strange and out-of-body experience'.

Which X-Men franchise producer produced She's the Man with Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi?

Andy Fickman directed from a script by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, the Legally Blonde writing team.