Trivia

Gina Gershon had been originally offered the role of Sharla almost 20 years previously when the script was for a play, but she turned it down because she could not imagine performing the infamous chicken-leg scene "eight times a week" on stage.

According to Matthew McConaughey, director William Friedkin rarely exceeded three takes per scene when filming. Juno Temple confirmed it, saying, "He trusts you so much and in turn you trust him with your whole heart. He does one or two takes of everything, and when you have a director that believes in you that strongly, all you want to do is get it right the minute they say action."

Director William Friedkin was shocked when he found out that the film was given the NC-17 rating and refused to alter the film for fear that any cut or edit would take away from the filthiness of the film. It was released theatrically with the NC-17 rating later, surrendering the rating for video release as "The Unrated Director's Cut." An edited R-rated version was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in order for certain retailers to carry the film.

In his memoir, William Friedkin wrote that Jennifer Lawrence desperately wanted the role of Dottie and was willing to shoot the full frontal nudity, but she couldn't do it due to a scheduling conflict.

In an interview Gina Gershon revealed that she wore a merkin. After ordering a wide variety, she settled on one she named Bertha.