When production started, Shaun was in a romantic relationship with the actress who would go on to play the lead part of Laura in High on the Hog, but she wasn't cast at first. Shaun left the set and the state of Illinois before filming began for a family emergency when the actress who was originally cast to play Laura was fired. When he found out Shaun persuaded Siarra Mong to talk to the producers about landing the role for herself. They loved her audition, but the producers decided to turn Siarra away because the makeup designer had already created the scars for a person with a lighter skin tone. Shaun reminded Siarra how she was a good makeup designer herself, and she went off, alone in their RV, and with a few drug-store ingredients she created new scars. Sure enough, she earned the part that way.
