During a visit in Tehran by Juliette Binoche, Abbas Kiarostami told Binoche the synopsis of Certified Copy as a casual anecdote, which she said that she fully believed until he confessed to having made it up. According to Kiarostami, studying the reactions of Binoche as she listened to the story was a vital part of the film's further development.
In her acceptance speech for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, Juliette Binoche took the opportunity to highlight the plight of another Iranian director, Jafar Panahi, who is under house arrest by the Iranian regime.
Abbas Kiarostami is normally known for making films with amateur actors and almost no budget, but said he had no difficulties in making the transition to European cinema: "This was the simplest film for me to work on-even more simple than the work I've done on my shorts, because I was working with a professional team both in front of and behind the camera." He also noted how he for once felt free to express whatever he wanted in the film.
William Shimell initially baulked at the idea of taking part in the film as he was nervous about the number of lines and monologues he'd have to memorize.
Editing was taking place throughout the whole shoot so three days after filming was complete, a first assembly rough cut was ready.