"Philadelphia" Was Inspired By Real People
Director John Demme told Rolling Stone that "Philadelphia" was inspired by his artist friend Juan Botas. He wanted to make a film about people who don't have AIDS and need to be informed. Botas passed away from AIDS after he and Demme worked together on a project, and he wanted to spread awareness about the disease to people who look down on HIV/AIDS patients. He also pulled from two discrimination cases that parallel Tom Hanks' character. Two men were wrongfully fired after it was revealed they had HIV, and both men won their cases.
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