Lionel Mark Smith, who plays the pimp in this movie, played a pimp (as well as a shill) in production of the original play back in 1982.
In 2006, William H. Macy won the Best Actor Award for his performance as the title character of 'Edmond' in this film at the Mar del Plata Film Festival.
Rebecca Pidgeon, who plays Edmond's wife, is married to David Mamet, the writer of the screenplay for this film.
In the commentary, the director and producers tell a story of when filming the scene when Edmond was beating the pimp and screaming various racial slurs, Jamie Foxx was filming a TV pilot nearby and walked over a bit upset at what he was hearing, and talked to the various black actors and crew standing around.
At one point, William H. Macy's character says "Fuck you, fuck the lot of you, fuck you all!." David Mamet previously used this line in the film Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) (it was shouted by Ed Harris's character).