Director Ang Lee originally was considering Kate Winslet only for the smaller part of Lucy Steele, even though she really wanted to play Marianne. When Winslet arrived at her audition, she pretended that her agent had sent her to read for Marianne, and her reading won her the role.
Feeling self-conscious about herself, Kate Winslet was skipping meals in an attempt to lose weight. Emma Thompson noticed and told her: "Losing weight is absolutely wrong for the part, and absolutely wrong for you." Thompson gave Winslet a copy of 'The Beauty Myth', encouraging her to embrace her body. Winslet has since credited Thompson as having a major influence in her life, and the two are extremely close friends to this day.
Dame Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet lived together during the shoot to help them form a natural sisterly bond.
With her Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award win, Dame Emma Thompson became the first person to receive Oscars for acting and writing.
While working on the script, Dame Emma Thompson's computer developed a problem and she was unable to locate the file. She took the computer to Sir Stephen Fry, an expert in Apple computers, who, after seven hours, finally managed to retrieve the script. This is why Stephen is thanked in the credits by the producers.