'12 Years a Slave' is in the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list & other trivia

Oscar winning film 12 Years a Slave was released in 2013 and is directed by Steve McQueen. The story revolves around a free African-American, who is promised a job by two white men, but is sold into slavery. The movie is based on real-life events and received high praise for its outlook on the history of American slavery. The movie stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyongo. Did you know that Brad Pitt was also one of the producers of this 2013 Best Picture winner? Yes, he also played a supporting role as Samuel Bass. Take a look at some trivia of the film.

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12 Years A Slave trivia

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• This movie is included in the list of "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider.
• One of the earlier versions of the screenplay was written by both Steve McQueen and John Ridley.
• The film cast includes two Oscar winners, Lupita Nyong'o and Brad Pitt. It includes six Oscar nominees, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Paul Giamatti, Quvenzhané Wallis, Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Fassbender.
• Brad Pitt was originally approached for the role played by Michael Fassbender, but he turned it down. He is also is a producer of this film. 
• Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor appeared together in Doctor Strange (2016).
• There are several Marvel characters in this movie: Chiwetel Ejiofor - Platt/Solomon (Mordo - Dr. Strange), Benedict Cumberbatch - Ford/title character (Dr Strange), Michael Fassbender - Epps/Magneto (X-Men), and Lupita Nyong'o - Patsy/Nakia (Black Panther).
• Brad Pitt and Scoot McNairy previously worked together on Killing Them Softly (2012) as Jackie & Frankie respectively.

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• 12 Years a Slave is the first film from a black director to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
• Both Pitt and Nyong'o won Oscars for this film, for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress respectively.
• This is the third collaboration of Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt. They previously worked together in Inglourious Basterds (2009) and The Counselor (2013).
• This is the feature film debut of Lupita Nyong'o. She went on to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the film.
• Sarah Paulson was originally unable to accept the role of Mary Epps, due to scheduling conflicts with the second season of American Horror Story (2011). When series creator Ryan Murphy found out, he rearranged it in a way so that Paulson could work on both projects.
• The tree where Solomon sees several men being lynched was actually used for lynching and is surrounded by the graves of murdered slaves.
• To nail the role of an alcoholic, Michael Fassbender had his makeup artist paint his moustache with alcohol so that the other actors would react to the smell as they would naturally to an alcoholic.

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