Botti spent nearly 6 months looking for an actor to play the lead role of Charlie. The search was futile and he was about to scrap the project, but decided to have one last casting call. Only one actor showed up for the audition. It was Dan Fogler and Botti knew he had found his lead as soon as Dan uttered his first line.
Botti never got permission to shoot in a toll booth on the Garden State Parkway. When they filmed the opening scene, unsuspecting motorists actually thought Fogler was a real toll collector, some even asking for directions. Fogler would just shake his shoulders and say he was from "out of town".