Charles Dance mentioned in his Production Diary that whilst they were casting, he got a phone call from Freddie Jones (who played Jan Pendered), who, having received the script, said "P**s-poor part, but I'll do it because I'm in love with Judi Dench."
This film marked the first English-language role for continental actor Daniel Brühl.
Maggie Smith and Judi Dench were performing together in a West End play when they received the scripts. They consulted each other, and decided to do the project.