Jamie Lee Curtis would have a thumbtack in her hand and would squeeze it to stop her from laughing and ruining the takes during funny scenes.
Billie Lourd's mother is Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films. Billie's character is often seen wearing earmuffs - a homage to her mother's famous hairstyle in the movie. Also, in the final episode of season one, Chanel #3 has her hair in the classic 'Leia' hairstyle.
Ryan Murphy had no intention of doing the show without Jamie Lee Curtis. He stated he's a fan of hers and and had been trying to work with her for years, so he expressly wrote material for her that he just wanted to see her living out, being irreverent and fun and powerful, large and in charge. When Curtis met with him and executive producer Brad Falchuk about potentially starring, Murphy said to her, "'If you don't do it, we're not going to do the show.'" It took a day for her to think about it, and she ended up committing before even seeing a script.
Several times, Chanel (Emma Roberts) references teenage sleuth Nancy Drew. Roberts herself played Drew in Nancy Drew - Girl Detective (2007).
The actresses had to learn to walk in a certain formation to set the right tone for the characters. Co-creator Ryan Murphy would always tell them to listen to music in their head when they're walking. The cast also had to practice their screaming.