The dude that robs Manny the first time is Carmine Giovinazzo (Detective Danny Messer from CSI: NY (2004)), cousin of the director, Buddy Giovinazzo.
Director Buddy Giovinazzo revealed that originally the rape scene came twenty minutes into the film and the film opened in the bodega (convenience store). "It wasn't working. It was too slow. So a good friend of mine, a director, who I screened the film for told me, why don't you put the rape scene up front? I first said, no are you crazy. Everyone will walk out. And he said, anyone who walks out in the beginning will walk out twenty minutes in, so you might as well just go with it. And he was right. So we moved it to the beginning and it had the right effect. It just told anyone watching this movie, just strap yourself in," Giovinazzo said.