``Donnie Darko'' Who are the key people and works that brought about a miracle to an unknown young man?

Two actors who changed the game

Donnie Darko was the first feature-length script that Richard Kelly wrote after The Graduate. It was recognized by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a major Hollywood agency, and Kelly signed a contract at the age of 23. It was a good start. However, despite Kelly's earnest sales pitch, he was unable to find a production company. Studio executives lectured him, saying, "You're too young to be a director. You should sell your script." A year passed, and rumors began to spread in Hollywood that "that script is dead."

One of the hundreds of copies of the script that were printed during that time caught the eye of Jason Schwartzman, who starred in " The Rushmore ." Schwartzman approached Kelly about collaborating, and the project was revived, initially securing $2.5 million in funding from Pandora Cinema.

"Donnie Darko" (C)2001 PANDORA INC.ALL RIGHT RESERVED

Through Schwartzman, the script was passed on to Flower Films, a production company founded by Drew Barrymore. Kelly was contacted by the company and met Barrymore on the set of Charlie's Angels , where she asked her to play the role of an English teacher. She readily agreed, on the condition that Flower Films also join the production. The budget was increased to $4.5 million. "After Drew signed on, it was a project that everyone wanted to be a part of," Kelly recalled.

Drew Barrymore was not just a cast member, but also directed the production as a mentor and godmother. In the latter half of the film, Donnie and his friends ride their bicycles to the house of Roberta Sparrow (aka "Grandma Death"), a scene that pays homage to the sci-fi film " ET " (1982), in which Barrymore starred.

Jake Gyllenhaal was involved in the script