- To make himself look like an average out of shape middle aged man Tom Hanks didn't exercise and allowed himself to grow pudgy. Production was then halted for a year so he could lose fifty pounds and grow out his hair for his time spent on the deserted island. During this hiatus, Robert Zemeckis used the same crew to film What Lies Beneath (2000).
- The license plate on Chuck's car reads: KAZ 2AY.
- Virtually all the sound, including dialog, in the scenes on the island - about an hour and a half of screen time - had to be replaced in post-production. Sound man William B. Kaplan made a valiant attempt at getting usable sound on the island, but the nearby surf made it impossible, given that many of the scenes needed to be very quiet.
- Actual lines of dialogue were written for Wilson the Volleyball, to help Hanks have a more natural interaction with the inanimate object.
- Most of the nighttime scenes on the island (except the creation of fire scene) were shot during the daytime. The darkness and night sky effects were added in post-production.
- Some of the 'desert island' footage was shot on the mainland with a highway in the background that had to be removed.
- Alan Silvestri wrote 24 minutes of score (including over seven minutes for the final credits) for a 143-minute film. Aside from the Russian chorus and the Elvis song from the beginning, there is not one single note of written musical score in the film until Noland leaves the island (1 hour and 43 minutes into the movie). Only then does the musical score come in: an oboe, piano and strings are all that Silvestri uses. Every musical cue is a variation on the same melody, which is heard in full at the end.
- In the scene where Noland squats on the ground, contemplating an item that has washed up on shore, the shot is composed as an homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), reportedly Tom Hanks' favorite film.
- When Noland reaches the top of the mountain, his stick and headgear is an homage to the The Ten Commandments (1956).
- In the scene where Hanks' character builds a fire, he celebrates by setting a palm branch on fire. Upon seeing the "fireflies" that are created, Hanks quotes directly from a scene in The Right Stuff (1983) when Ed Harris' John Glenn sees similar "fireflies" from Friendship Seven.
- The movie was produced by Image Movers and Playtone. Playtone is Tom Hanks' own production company and was the name of the record label that his character worked for in That Thing You Do! (1996).
- Robert Zemeckis was asked at a Q&A session at USC what was in the unopened packaged. He replied that it was a waterproof, solar-powered, satellite phone. To hear him say it for yourself on the DVD, do this: Start at the Special Features Main Menu and enter the Video & Stills Galleries. When you see "Raft Escape" press left on your remote to highlight the "World Of Time" logo.
- DVD easter egg. On the second disc of the 2-disc edition of the DVD, select "Video and Stills Galleries". Highlight "Raft Escape" on the next menu, and press LEFT on your remote. An icon of yellow and blue wings appears. Play this to hear Robert Zemeckis say what is in the FedEx package that is never opened in the film.
- An early draft of the script had Chuck having two different personalities talking to each other, Good Chuck and Bad Chuck.
- Fred Smith, founder and owner of FedEx, makes a cameo appearance in the film.
- Several scenes are in reference to the "The Prisoner" (1967) episode "Many Happy Returns," in which Number Six, after building a makeshift raft to take him from the Village, washes ashore.
- On the plane ride home, Chuck is offered a cup of ice, and Dr. Pepper. An obvious reference and nod to the previous Zemeckis/Hanks project Forrest Gump (1994).
- If you simply take the initial from Chuck's name and add it to his surname it reads 'C. Noland' or "see no land".
- Contrary to popular belief, FedEx did not pay the filmmakers anything for their presence in the movie. The director has made this clear in a number of interviews.
- One of the three volleyballs used in the film was sold in an auction for $18,400.
- The production employed several local Fiji islanders in the surrounding archipelago, including the neighboring Mana Island about a mile away. The locals were allowed to keep some of the supplies and tools as tokens of their help.
- The scene in which Noland is talking with Stan by the fireplace of Stan's home is shot in 1 long take, with the camera rotating slowly around Noland (Hanks). The shot lasts 3 minutes and 46 seconds.
- The moment before Chuck removes his tooth in the cave, he tells Wilson his dentist in Memphis is called "Dr. James Spalding". In the German version anyway, the German voice of Noland says "Dr. James Volley", maybe because only a few in Germany are familiar with the American label "Spalding".
- In the film, Chuck draws a picture of Kelly (Helen Hunt) on the wall of the cave. In the movie As Good as It Gets (1997), Simon Bishop tells Carol Connelly (also played by Hunt) 'you're the reason cavemen chiseled on walls'.
- The paper that Chuck writes his note to Bettina Peterson is stationary from "Arrington Ranch" (a cattle ranch resort) that is the actual house where Chuck leaves the letter.
- In the beginning of the movie, as the camera pans down his fireplace, on the fireplace is the book "Sailing Alone Around the World" by Joshua Slocum.
- When Chuck is aboard the doomed Fed-Ex flight, he has his shoes off and loses them in the crash. Much later in the movie when Chuck is on a plane returning to his homeland he is shown wearing shoes, one of the first signs of his lifestyle transformation.
- To see the island that Cast Away was filmed on, put -17.609277,177.0397 into Google Maps and zoom in all the way on satellite mode. The beach that Tom Hanks writes HELP on and sees from the peak is the eastern most part of Monuriki, Fiji.
- Some crew members were left on the island for a few days to survive and learn some skills. They used some of their survival techniques in the movie for the character of Chuck. They were: having trouble lighting a fire, opening a coconut, talking to a volleyball, collecting packages washed up on the beach and catching fish.
>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<
Trivia items below here contain information that may give away important plot points. You may not want to read any further if you've not already seen this title.
- SPOILER: Near the end of the movie, Kelly explains to Chuck that the NFL team, the Houston Oilers, are now the Tennessee Titans and made it to the Superbowl the year before only to lose the game by 1 yard. This is in reference to Superbowl XXXIV (Superbowl 34; January 30, 2000) where the Tennesse Titans played the St. Louis Rams and lost 23-16. The final play of the game involved Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson receiving a pass from Titans quarterback Steve McNair but then being tackled 1 yard short of the end-zone which could have potentially tied the game (if Tennessee opted for the extra point) or won the game (if Tennessee proceeded with the 2-point conversion). This play has now been widely known as "The Tackle".
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