However, this was not because he got arrested for unpaid parking tickets but also due to allegations of domestic abuse. Gardner did begin his work in the industry as an intern at Dean Witter Reynolds with a modest monthly stipend, unlike the film, which shows that it is an unpaid internship.Ī post shared by Chris Gardner depicted in the movie, Gardner was not appropriately dressed for his interview at Dean Witter Reynolds. However, Gardner indeed befriended a stockbroker called Marty, who helped him get a foot into the finance world. The pivotal scene with Gardner impressing a broker from Dean Witter in a cab ride with his skills with the Rubik’s Cube also seems to be Conrad’s brainchild. The real Gardner did not mind it because he understood why it needed to be done. This was done so that the interaction between the father and son seemed more meaningful in the movie. Gardner’s son was two years old at the particular stage of their life depicted in the film, where Christopher Jr. Gardner was still married to Sherry when he began an affair with Jackie, with whom he had both his children. In real life, Gardner has a son Christopher Gardner Jr.
Linda is a composite character of the two women in the real-life Gardner’s life, his first wife, Sherry, and the mother of his children, Jackie Medina. There is no mention of such an event in any of the interviews by the real Chris Gardner, nor does it feature in his 2006 memoir.Īnother deviation from reality is Linda’s character. This means that the intense scene where Gardner gets hit by a car because he is chasing after the person who steals the scanner may also be a fictional event created for the sake of the film.
#Pursuit of happiness song behind the scenes portable#
Conrad added the part where Gardner put his life savings into buying the portable bone-density scanners. It is true that Gardner used to sell medical supplies, but it was not limited to just scanners, as is shown in the film. One of the biggest differences between reality and the film is Gardner’s job before joining the training program. However, the scriptwriter, Steven Conrad, has taken some creative liberties as far Gardner’s life is concerned. The film revolves around the difficult period in the real Chris Gardner’s life as he spent it in uncertainty, not knowing where the next meal would come from or where he and his son would stay the night. Yes, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ is based on a true story. Is The Pursuit of Happyness Based on a True Story?