Daryl Hannah

 Daryl Hannah had been swimming "mermaid" style with her legs bound together since she was a child due to her fascination with Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" story. In the documentary contained on the 20th Anniversary "Splash" (1984) DVD, Tom Hanks recalled how the other cast members would drop French fries over the side of the tank to her as though she were a trained sea mammal as she couldn't leave the water while her legs were "shrink-wrapped."

Hannah swam with the mermaid tail so fast that her safety team could not keep pace with her.

Hannah, a vegetarian, refused to eat real lobster for the restaurant scene. The crew scooped out the insides of real, cooked lobsters and filled them with a thick, tofu-like paste. Ron Howard said Hannah cried after each take over the deaths of the lobsters for their shells.

Many actresses either auditioned for or were considered for the role of Madison:

Jodie Foster auditioned, but turned it down in order to play a character in "The Hotel New Hampshire" (1984).

Rosanna Arquette auditioned but had to back out.

Brooke Shields reportedly turned down an offer to play Madison so she could study French Literature at Princeton.

Debra Winger reportedly wanted the role of Madison, but Ron Howard turned her down.

Lisa Whelchel, due to her huge popularity as Blair from "The Facts of Life", also was considered for Madison.

Tanya Roberts also auditioned for the role of Madison, but she turned it down because she was busy working on "Sheena" (1984).

According to the Biography Channel, Bill Murray and P.J. Soles were considered for the roles of Allen and Madison, but Murray turned it down.

Before Hannah accepted the role, it had already been turned down by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Melanie Griffith, Genie Francis, Lynne Frederick, Fiona Fullerton, Diane Lane, Tatum O'Neal, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sharon Stone, and Kathleen Turner.

Happy Birthday, Daryl Hannah!