During filming, many of the film's actors, including River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, moved into director Gus Van Sant's house in Portland. Apparently their all-night drinking, partying, and playing music bothered Van Sant so much that he ended up having to move in with a friend so he could get a good night's sleep.
Some of the dialogue elements of Keanu's character Scott come from the first and second parts of Shakespeare's play "Henry IV" and "Henry V". Some of the lines of the other actors are also taken directly from the dialogue of the play.
The hotel concierge in the film is played by Gus Van Sant.
The protagonists' names, Mike and Scott, come from two real male prostitutes who Gus van Sant met while writing the script and used their names. One of them also appears in the cafe scene.
The film's tapes were initially packaged as a heterosexual film, with both River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves with women on the sleeves.
River Phoenix confesses to Keanu Reeves at the campfire that River Phoenix wrote it himself.
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