50 Fun Facts About Uncut Gems

Which brothers directed Uncut Gems?

The Safdies had been developing a movie about Manhattan's jewelers since 2009, drawing on their father's years as a diamond salesman.

What is the name of the jeweler Adam Sandler plays?

Howard is a jeweler and gambling addict trying to turn one rare stone into a way out of his debts.

What kind of gemstone drives the plot of Uncut Gems?

The stone is dug out of a mine in the film's 2010 prologue before the main story picks up in 2012.

Which real NBA star plays a fictionalized version of himself in Uncut Gems?

Garnett was cast in September 2018 after several active players fell through, and his performance was praised as one of the best ever by an athlete.

In what part of New York City is Howard's jewelry store located?

The Safdies drew on their father's stories of working as a diamond salesman; co-writer Ronald Bronstein's father worked in the Garment District.

Which studio distributed Uncut Gems in United States theaters?

A24 handled the domestic release while Netflix took the international rights and streamed it abroad from January 2020.

Which musician plays himself hosting a nightclub party in the film?

He specifically asked to be portrayed as an egotistical punk, saying that was how he treated people in 2012.

Which actress made her feature-film debut as Howard's employee and mistress?

Roughly 300 actresses auditioned for the part, and it became Fox's breakthrough role, earning a Gotham Award nomination.

Which Broadway star plays Howard's wife, Dinah?

Menzel joined the project in autumn 2018 alongside Eric Bogosian and Judd Hirsch.

Who plays Demany, the associate who brings clients into Howard's store?

Demany walks the basketball star into KMH on the very day the opal arrives, setting the whole disaster in motion.

What does Garnett leave with Howard as collateral when he borrows the opal?

Howard immediately pawns it to fund a six-way parlay on that night's game.

How is Arno related to Howard?

Arno is married to Dinah's sister, which is why he can ambush Howard at family events like the school play and the holiday seder.

From which country is the opal smuggled at the start of the film?

The mine scenes were actually shot elsewhere on the continent, though the extras were genuinely from the country.

What is the name of Howard's jewelry store?

The store's double security doors become the film's final trap when Howard locks Arno and the goons between them.

How much money does Howard owe Arno at the start of the film?

The debt is why Arno places a stop on Howard's winning parlay: it was made with money that was already his.

Where do Arno's goons ambush Howard, strip him naked and lock him in his own car trunk?

Howard has to call his estranged wife Dinah to let him out.

Which Jewish holiday dinner does Howard sit through with his family during the film?

Dinah has agreed to divorce him after the holiday, and at the seder she rejects his plea for another chance.

How much would Howard's first big parlay have paid out before Arno stopped the bet?

Arno reveals he cancelled it because Howard placed it with money he owed him, one of the film's cruellest reversals.

How much does Garnett offer to pay for the opal before the auction?

Howard turns it down because he believes the stone is worth far more, then learns the appraisal is much lower than his own estimate.

Whom does Howard recruit to bid at the auction to drive up the opal's price?

The plan backfires when Garnett refuses to top Gooey's final bid, leaving the family holding its own stone.

Where does Julia go to place Howard's final bet?

She gets there by helicopter while Howard keeps Arno and the goons locked between the security doors back at the store.

How much does Howard win on the final parlay?

Julia walks out of the casino with the winnings; Howard never gets to spend a cent of them.

Who shoots Howard at the end of the film?

Phil then shoots Arno too when he protests, and loots the store with Nico as Julia leaves the casino.

Who composed the score for Uncut Gems?

Lopatin, better known as Oneohtrix Point Never, won the Florida Film Critics Circle award for the score.

Which legendary director served as an executive producer on Uncut Gems?

Once he signed on, the Safdies said actors finally started taking the script seriously.

Which actor was cast as Howard in 2017 before dropping out to direct Mid90s?

The Safdies had tried rewriting Howard younger for him; Sandler took over in April 2018.

Which earlier Safdie film convinced Adam Sandler to finally take the role?

His manager had rejected the script twice before, in 2010 and 2015.

Which NBA player was the Safdies originally writing the basketball role for?

They planned to build the story around the night he set the Madison Square Garden single-game scoring record, but his agent said he only wanted to direct.

Why did Amar'e Stoudemire not end up in the film?

The Safdies liked that he shared Black and Jewish heritage and had played for their beloved Knicks.

Which then-active NBA player agreed to appear but dropped out when filming moved into the season?

After that the Safdies turned to retired players and landed on a Celtic, despite their Knicks loyalties.

Who was the cinematographer on Uncut Gems?

He shot mostly on 35 mm with vintage anamorphic lenses, switching to an Alexa Mini only for night sequences.

Which country stood in for the African mine in the opening sequence?

The town of O'Kiep doubled for the Welo mine, with Ethiopians cast as extras for authenticity.

At which festival did Uncut Gems have its world premiere?

It then played Toronto and the New York Film Festival before its December release.

On what date did Uncut Gems go into wide release in the United States?

Its Christmas Day opening set the biggest single-day gross in A24 history.

Which film knocked Uncut Gems off its perch as A24's highest-grossing domestic release?

Uncut Gems finished with roughly $50M domestically and held the record until 2022.

What CinemaScore did wide-release audiences give Uncut Gems, down from an A- in limited release?

The divisive ending is widely blamed for the drop; PostTrak audiences averaged just 2 out of 5 stars.

Which two Independent Spirit Awards did Uncut Gems win for its directors and star?

It also won Best Editing there for Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie, who cut the film together.

Which actress provides the uncredited voice of the auction manager?

Natasha Lyonne is also heard but never seen, as a member of the Celtics staff.

Which NBA coach wrote and voiced a pep talk heard in the film?

He coached Garnett on the 2008 title-winning Celtics, the same team whose ring Howard pawns.

Which Guardians of the Galaxy actress lost most of her scenes, keeping only a title cameo?

She plays Lexis, a friend of Julia's who greets Howard outside his apartment.

Which Pixar sequel borrowed camera work and framing from Uncut Gems for its anxiety scenes?

The influence shows most when the character Anxiety seizes control of Riley's mind.

Which home-video label released Uncut Gems on disc in 2021?

Josh Safdie, who grew up ripping rented Criterion discs, said the acquisition felt like sneaking into a museum.

What was the record-setting per-theater average of Uncut Gems in its first limited-release weekend?

It opened in just five theaters and posted the best per-venue average in A24 history and the second-best of 2019.

What 2020 short film reunited the Safdies with Adam Sandler after Uncut Gems?

It was their last collaboration as a directing duo before the brothers dissolved their partnership in 2024.

Which sports-radio host plays Gary, Howard's bookie?

He is one of several real New York figures cast for verisimilitude alongside working jewelers from the trade.

In which year is the main action of Uncut Gems set?

The opening mine sequence takes place two years earlier, in 2010, when the opal is pulled from Ethiopia's Welo mine.

The Safdies' idea for the film was inspired by their father's stories of working as what?

Their father sold diamonds; co-writer Ronald Bronstein's father worked in the Garment District, and the brothers first had the idea in 2009.

Which actress voices the uncredited cameo as a Boston Celtics staff member?

Actor John Amos also appears as himself, playing Howard's neighbour.

Roughly how many actresses auditioned for the role of Julia before Julia Fox was cast?

Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson and Kim Kardashian were among names floated for the part.

How much did Uncut Gems make on the first day of its wide release, an A24 single-day record?

That figure included $1.1 million from Christmas Eve previews; the film finished its run with about $50 million.