Mary-Louise Parker was set to reprise the role of Rita Boyle that she originated in the original stage show but was replaced by Meg Ryan at the insistence of the studio due to Ryan being a bigger star at the time.
The original stage production, a 1990 Tony Award nominee for Best Play by Craig Lucas, opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre on May 1, 1990 and played 440 performances before closing on May 19, 1991.
The day after Kathy Bates won the Oscar for her role in Misery (1990), she filmed a scene with Alec Baldwin where fans asked for their autographs. She later walked her dog and forgot to bring a clean-up bag and wound up using a fan's discarded autograph she found on the ground instead.