Harvey Keitel and Martin Sheen learned their accents for this film from James L.W. West, while Andie MacDowell, who is a native Southerner, developed her own accent. Keitel spent most of a day talking with West and taping his speech. Sheen later listened to these tapes.
The name Shadrach is Biblical, and comes from the Book of Daniel. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three men of God who were put into a fiery furnace, but who came out unscathed, because the Lord had protected them. They had been put in there by King Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon, when they refused to bow to an idol. (Daniel 3:1-29)
Edmonia muses that Shadrach has been alive more days than there are stars in the sky. Though a nice poetic line, this is also true from a certain point of view, in that there are about 9,000 stars visible to the naked eye (in the best of conditions) and at 99 Shadrach has been alive at least 35,770 days.
Harvey Keitel and Andie MacDowell starred in Ginostra (2002).