When the film swept the 16th Annual RAZZIE Awards, Paul Verhoeven turned up in person to accept Worst Director and Worst Picture. He was the first director to ever turn up to collect the award.
Kyle MacLachlan denied rumours that he walked out of the premiere - "I sat there and suffered for the whole two hours".
Elizabeth Berkley was paid only $100,000 for playing the lead in the film. When a special V.I.P. edition boxed set was released in 2004 she requested $2,500 to be interviewed. They declined.
Elizabeth Berkley was dropped by her agency after the film was released, and director Paul Verhoeven has since apologized for casting her in this movie, thereby effectively ending her career: "In retrospect, Elizabeth may have regretted being so heavily involved with the movie and being so vulnerable to her critics, but when we did it we never had the feeling that this would happen." However, after the movie gained cult status later on, Berkley attended its 20th anniversary screening in 2015, and thanked fans for making it a cult favorite: "Whether this film has been your guilty pleasure, whether you have played 'Pin the Pasties on the Showgirl', or whether Nomi's own plight and her fight and struggle has become your own anthem in your life, I hope that it's brought you comfort."
The only time actresses complained that they felt uncomfortable was during the scenes with the chimps, who constantly stared at their bare breasts.