In the DVD commentary Stephen Fry, who is gay, admits he was nervous about the love scenes with his heterosexual co-stars. He remarked that Jude Law, Michael Sheen, and Ioan Gruffudd were quick to put him at ease.
Producer Marc Samuelson, despite acknowledging that Stephen Fry was the perfect choice to play Oscar Wilde, found it difficult to obtain financing due to Fry's lack of star power.