Lead actress Maggie Cheung and director Olivier Assayas had previously collaborated on Irma Vep (1996), where they started a relationship and married a couple of years later. By the time they worked together again here, they'd already been divorced for a couple of years.
During the scene where Albrecht has a meeting concerning the artwork for Lee's album, a Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds poster is seen on the wall behind him. James Johnston (who plays Lee Hauser) plays guitar and organ in The Bad Seeds.