Susan Sarandon informed the movie's producers that she would not be interested in the project if Natalie Portman was not cast as her daughter.
The script had to be rewritten when Natalie Portman refused to do a nude scene. Co-star Susan Sarandon supported her decision, hence the rewrites.
When Ann is auditioning for a movie role, the casting assistant calls for a "Karen Scarborough". Karen Scarborough is the payroll accountant for the film.
Story of the move is taken from same named novel written by Mona Simpson (Steve Jobs's sister)
In this film, Susan Sarandon calls Natalie Portman Pooh Bear. In Beautiful Girls (1996), Timothy Hutton calls himself Pooh Bear and calls Portman his Christopher Robin.