Contrary to popular belief, McBurney's heritage was not changed to suit Colin Farrell's natural accent. The character is Irish in the book. Farrell was not initially going to use his Dublin accent but pushed to have the movie accurate to the original story.
Interior scenes were filmed in the New Orleans home of actress Jennifer Coolidge. She said the cane used by Colin Farrell left dents all over her living room floor.
The sponge scene with Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell required several takes, as the afternoon light affected the cinematography. By the time the scene wrapped, Kidman had sponged Farrell for almost two hours.
During filming, Colin Farrell was forbidden from washing his hair with shampoo.
Sofia Coppola chose the 1.66 : 1 aspect ratio because she wanted to make the film feel claustrophobic.