 Anthony Hopkins accepted the part of Henry Wilcox after reading the script, passed to him by a young woman who was helping edit "Slaves of New York" and "The Silence of the Lambs" simultaneously in the same building.Phoebe Nicholls, Joely Richardson, Miranda Richardson, and Tilda Swinton were all considered for the part of Margaret Schlegel before Emma Thompson accepted the role.James Ivory was unaware of Emma Thompson before she was recommended to him by Simon Callow, who made a small cameo as the music lecturer in the concert scene.Jemma Redgrave (Evie Wilcox), who played the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave's character (Ruth Wilcox), is her niece off-screen.