Ben Foster was suppose to play the role of Eddie O'Hare, but gave the role to his brother Jon Foster instead because he thought it was better suited for him.
Before Elle Fanning was cast as Ruth Cole, identical twins were initially in mind to be because the director feared that the filming hours would be exhausting for a single four-year-old child, in the end Elle Fanning was cast in the role.
The deceased Cole boys, Thomas and Timothy, were played by director/screenwriter Tod Williams's cousins Tod Harrison Williams and Carter Williams, and the photographs featured in the film are their actual childhood photos.
Talking about her full frontal nude scene at 48, Mimi Rogers admitted it was "a little scary," but once she worked out all the particulars with helmer Tod Williams, the clothes came right off.
"It's not particularly objectionable to me, because it's not nudity in a sexual context per se because it's during an art scene and is more relevant to the storytelling as opposed to it being gratuitous, 'OK, now, here's the sex scene.' But it did require me to be there, full on starkers as they say," Rogers said.