Because Woody Allen doesn't get into motivation or background of a character when he's directing actors, Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins got together and invented the background for the sisters' relationship. So every scene when they talked about their past, although it's vague on the script and for the viewer, they both knew exactly what the sisters are talking about.
Costume designer Suzy Benzinger had a budget of only $35,000. The Hermès bag that Jasmine carries was worth more than the entire budget and was borrowed, as were most of the designer outfits.
In Sophia Loren's memoir "Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: My Life", the screen legend reveals that she still absorbs inspiration from other actors to enhance her own acting portrayals, saying, "Recently, I was struck by the last scene in Blue Jasmine (2013), where Cate Blanchett has an expression on her face I'd never seen before. That expression crept inside me, and it lies there waiting to germinate a new plant, a new flower."
Cate Blanchett (Jasmine French) studied the 60 Minutes (1968) interview with Ruth Madoff, the wife of disgraced Wall Street swindler Bernie Madoff, to emulate certain vocal inflections and body language that Ruth displayed in order to capture the essence of a woman whose once wealthy and privileged world comes crumbling down around her.