Most of Adrien Brody's scenes were cut from the film and he wasn't aware of these changes until he saw the film at the premiere. Brody came to the premiere expecting to see himself as the lead character and was shocked when he saw that he was barely featured in the film, especially since Cpl. Fife was the central character in the novel on which the movie was based.
Billy Bob Thornton recorded a narration for the two hour and fifty minute epic under the supervision of writer and director Terrence Malick. However, the final print of the film has voice-overs by eight of the main characters in the film; none of the narration from Thornton is in the final print. In addition, several other stars who filmed scenes were left on the cutting room floor, including Bill Pullman, Gary Oldman, Lukas Haas, Viggo Mortensen, Martin Sheen, Jason Patric, and Mickey Rourke.
Writer and director Terrence Malick tended not to wait for ideal lighting conditions but would shoot the same scene three times: when it was overcast, in bright sunlight, and in ideal light. This way he had all conditions covered. When it came time to edit, he could decide which is the best lighting for a specific sequence and use the scenes shot in that particular light.
Terrence Malick's reputation and working methods commanded great respect among the actors, with Woody Harrelson and John Savage staying on for an extra month after they finished all of their scenes just to watch him at work.
Producers Robert Michael Geisler and John Roberdeau had a falling out with writer and director Terrence Malick during pre-production. By the time they were filming, their relationship had so deteriorated that Malick barred them from visiting the set.