Wentworth Miller, who played the young Coleman Silk, has said in interviews that he strongly identified with Silk’s predicament as a man of mixed race (Miller’s mother is white and his father is African American), since he was often assumed to be white. In 2003 Miller told The New Yorker that his connection to Silk was reinforced by a campus incident at Princeton: as a student he drew a political cartoon for the university’s student paper criticising African American studies professor Cornel West, and the cartoon was viewed by many as racist, partly because Miller was widely presumed to be white. The controversy received national attention, but Miller did not correct that assumption: he later explained that the idea of passing had never crossed his mind, and rather than step forward to clarify the cartoon and point to his own background as proof he meant no harm, he chose to remain silent. His stance was summed up by the phrase "'If they don't get it, I don't have to explain it'", meaning that if people did not understand him he did not feel obliged to explain himself. Those who knew him on campus and knew his background understood where he was coming from, but for most readers he was just a name in the paper and they probably assumed he was white. When Miller auditioned for the film, he told one of the casting directors about the Princeton cartoon incident, and was asked to verify that he was part-Black; he therefore sent several family photographs to confirm his mixed-race heritage.
A mole was added to the side of Sir Anthony Hopkins's (Coleman Silk's) head because Wentworth Miller (the young Coleman Silk) already had a mole on that side of his head. Hopkins also wore green contact lenses to match the colour of Miller's eyes.
Nicole Kidman (Faunia Farley) visited women's refuges and spoke with former survivors of abuse to inform her performance.
The white racist who hurls abuse at the porter on the train was portrayed by Allison Davis, a Chicago-based lawyer of partial Black ancestry.
This marked the theatrical film debut of Wentworth Miller, who played Young Coleman Silk. Nicole Kidman (Faunia Farley) featured in Miller's debut as a screenwriter — the 2013 film Stoker (2013).
In Blake Bailey's contentious (but authorised-by-Roth) 2021 biography of Philip Roth, Bailey recounts that during the filming of The Human Stain Roth made a play for Nicole Kidman, then turned on her when she did not seem to register his intentions: "In 2002, Roth met Nicole Kidman, who'd been cast as Faunia Farley in his celebrated novel The Human Stain. They shared a divorce lawyer, Bill Beslow, who told Roth that Kidman wanted to discuss Faunia by phone. Roth told her to visit a women's refuge and speak to the cleverest woman there, then proposed they continue the conversation over dinner in New York. Roth's 'one and only hangout' in the city was the Russian Samovar on West 52nd Street, where the proprietor, Roman Kaplan, always greeted him with great warmth. 'Hello, beautiful,' Kaplan exclaimed when Kidman arrived on Roth's arm, and the waitresses scurried across the road to buy disposable cameras at Rexall's. The evening was deemed a success: Roth recalled that they 'hit it off,' and afterwards passers-by on the pavement called out, 'Nicole! ... Nicole!'.... Roth later maintained that their acquaintance dwindled after a few phone calls, but a reliable source said there was at least one more failed date. Roth, who had eagerly hired a limousine for the occasion, arrived at Kidman's hotel and was taken aback when she descended to the lobby looking puzzled and wearing jeans. She apologised, explaining she thought the date was the following night and offered to join him in the hotel bar for a glass of wine or the like. Roth, however, flew into a rage and left in a sulk. Some time later a friend of his encountered Kidman and mentioned Roth. 'Tell him to grow up,' the actress replied."
Jacinda Barrett's first and only nude scene. Speaking about her full-frontal nude scene in this film, she said her father had no objection to her appearing naked on-screen. 'I asked my dad what he made of me undressing, and he was completely candid about the whole thing. He rather took me by surprise. He said, "A young woman's body is a thing of beauty and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it." That settled the matter. So after that I didn't feel there was anything wrong with disrobing on-screen.'
Gary Sinise and Ed Harris both featured in the 1995 film Apollo 13.
This was the second time that Nicole Kidman collaborated with director Robert Benton; their first film together was Billy Bathgate (1991).
Nicole Kidman (Faunia Farley) and Margo Martindale (Psychologist) both featured in the films Days of Thunder (1990) and Practical Magic (1998).
Sir Anthony Hopkins had a starring role in the 2002 film Bad Company. Robert Benton wrote and directed the 1972 film Bad Company.
It marks the third of four collaborations between Margo Martindale and director Robert Benton. Their other joint films are Nobody's Fool (1994), Twilight (1998) and Feast of Love (2007).
Renee Zellweger was among those being considered to portray Faunia Farley.
Jamie Lee Curtis was one of the actresses considered to take on the role of Faunia Farley.
Julie Andrews was under consideration to portray the character Faunia Farley.
Lindsay Lohan was considered for the part of Faunia Farley.
The cast comprises two Academy Award winners — Sir Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman — alongside two Academy Award nominees: Gary Sinise and Ed Harris.
