During breaks in filming, James Dean got the local cowboys to teach him how to handle a lariat, as well as his hat, until he could act as if he had been working with them his entire life.
Three days before shooting was scheduled to start, James Dean was entered in an auto race in Palm Springs, California. When George Stevens found out, he put his foot down and insisted that Dean not be allowed to race until after production was finished.
During the shoot, James Dean appeared in an informal black-and-white television commercial in which he responded to questions posed by actor Gig Young. Ironically, Dean was promoting safe driving and informed viewers, "People say racing is dangerous, but I'd rather take my chances on the track any day than on the highway." Before he left the studio, he added one piece of advice: "Drive safely, because the life you save may be mine." Dean was wearing the same hat and clothing he wore for this movie throughout the commercial. He died a few weeks later in a car crash.
On the day he completed his last scene, James Dean had a new Porsche Spyder delivered to the set at the end of his work day. Mercedes McCambridge was the first person to ride in it with him. When he sped across the Warner Brothers' lot to drive her to her dressing room, studio police barred him from speeding there.