When Robert Downey Jr. was arrested for drug possession in 1996, writer and director James Toback vowed to be the first to offer Downey a job once he got out of rehab. Toback wrote the screenplay in four days with Downey in mind for the lead role.
Shot in eleven days in a Manhattan loft.
During the final scene, Robert Downey Jr. plays a song on the piano titled "Snake", which Downey actually composed himself. He later included the song on his debut album "The Futurist" in 2004.
The bathtub scene was almost entirely improvised.