20 Things You Didn't Know About Layer Cake
15. The Protagonist Is Called XXXX Because The Author Couldn't Think Of A Name
A recurring gag throughout the film is that the name of Daniel Craig's protagonist isn't ever mentioned or spoken, and even in Layer Cake's end credits, he's simply referred to as XXXX.
The reasoning behind this isn't some too-clever attempt to mystify the audience, but the simple fact that author J.J. Connolly couldn't think of an actual name for the character.
While writing the novel, he named the protagonist XXXX as a placeholder while he thought of something more suitable, but ultimately decided that the character didn't actually need a name for the story to work - and he's absolutely right.