Rooney Mara originally auditioned for the supporting role of Lucasta, but co-director/writer Tatiana von Fürstenberg was so impressed by the young actress, she had her return to audition for the lead role of Fernanda, which Mara won. Furstenberg was delighted with her nuanced performance, saying, "Still waters run deep".
When Rooney Mara was cast in the film, she was still billing herself as "Tricia Mara". It was during the making of "Tanner Hall" that she considered changing her professional name to Rooney Mara, soliciting the advice of the cast and crew. She won a "Rising Star" award at the 2009 Hamptons Film Festival for her role as 'Fernanda'.
Rooney Mara's first name is used as her character's last name,when Victoria returns Gio's letter to Fern's mailbox, her full name is Fernanda Rooney.
The director-screenwriters modeled Fernanda's wardrobe after 'Tatiana von Furstenberg''s sense of style, right down to having actor 'Tricia Mara' wear Ms. von Furstenberg's own shoes during filming. In fact, there were several days on set where the two were dressed almost identically, including once when both were in yellow dresses, bright thick tights, and the same exact tan heeled boots.
In the puppet show scene the clown starts to kill the girl using the "bone crusher" method and while walking over her he says a rhyme in Afrikaans: "Trippe Trappe Trone, Varkies in die Bone, Gansies in die Groene Gras"
This is just a little traditional rhyme used for comforting toddlers. It translates something like this: "Frolicking steps thrones, piglets in the beans, geese on the green grass" and ends with "Ek wens dat kindjie groter was", which means "I wish the little child was bigger"