For insurance purposes, and in case 80-year-old director Robert Altman was unable to finish shooting the film, Paul Thomas Anderson was employed as a standby director.
Meryl Streep accepted her role "in a heartbeat." It had been her lifetime ambition to make a film with Robert Altman.
Maya Rudolph, who plays the pregnant character, Molly, was pregnant during filming. Rudolph's husband,Paul Thomas Anderson, served as standby director.
All the music was recorded live.