Justin Chatwin, who isn't a singer, had his songs dubbed by other performers, which director Jeffrey St. Jules liked as it brought a sense of unrealism with his character.
Costume designer Sarah Millman looked to Ann-Margret's character in Tolle Nächte in Las Vegas (1964) on how to dress Stepphy's character, in addition to referencing Lula magazine a lot.
Justin Chatwin based his character as a combination of Elvis Presley, Vanilla Ice and Justin Bieber, especially the latter's mugshot photo.
Some of the influences for the film were Douglas Sirk's Was der Himmel erlaubt (1955), Todd Haynes' Dem Himmel so fern (2002), Jacques Demy's Die Regenschirme von Cherbourg (1964), Vincente Minnelli's Ein Amerikaner in Paris (1951), David Lynch and old Elvis Presley films.