Sofia Vassilieva shaved her hair and eyebrows off in order to play Kate Fitzgerald. She described it as being the least she could do to understand Kate's pain. Because she was filming both this movie and the TV show Medium (2005), her hair was turned into a wig for her.
On Anna's medical records, it shows that her birthday is 1990. However, she is 11, according to her mom. Since the movie came out in 2009, she should have been born in 1998.
In the scene where Cameron Diaz cuts off her hair and goes to the photo booth. The cap Diaz is wearing to make it look like she shaved her head is clearly visible as she enters the booth.
In the scene where Kate is getting chemo and she's talking to Taylor her hair switches from behind her ear to in front and back depending on the camera angle.
Toward the beginning of the movie where the family is outside jumping on the trampoline and blowing bubbles Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) is seen blowing bubbles, but if you look at the bubble stick nothing is coming out.
Andromeda 'Anna' Fitzgerald: When I was a kid, my mother told me that I was a little piece of blue sky that came into this world because she and Dad loved me so much. It was only later that I realized that it wasn't exactly true. Most babies are coincidences. I mean, up in space you've got all these souls flying around looking for bodies to live in. Then, down here on Earth, two people have sex or whatever, and bam, coincidence. Sure, you hear all these stories about how everyone plans these perfect families. But the truth is that most babies are products of drunken evenings and lack of birth control. They're accidents. Only people who have trouble making babies actually plan for them.
The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.
Q
Is "My Sister's Keeper" based on a book?
A
Yes. My Sister's Keeper is a 2004 novel by American author Jodi PIcoult. The novel was adapted for the movie by American screenwriter Jeremy Leven. While the novel is fiction, the story is very similar to the real life story of the Ayala sisters. Anissa Ayala was diagnosed at age 16 with leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. Since no donor match was available, her parents decided to produce a second child in hopes that s/he would provide a match. At 14 months old, Anissa's sister Marissa-Eve provided her with a life-saving bone marrow donation.
Q
How closely does the movie follow the novel?
A
Those who have both read the novel and seen the movie say that the general plot is the same, but there have been a few major changes. For one, the character of Julia does not appear in the movie. Jesse (Evan Ellingson) is not portrayed nearly as rebellious as he was in the novel. The biggest difference is that the ending of novel has been changed for the movie.