In 1987, a young Brad Pitt played Chris, a high school basketball student who appeared on two episodes. It was his first speaking role on TV. Other celebrities who appeared in walk-on parts before they were famous: Anne Heche, Billy Dee Williams, Henry Winkler, Kelsey Grammer, Chris Noth, Luke Perry, Ed O'Neill, Scott Bakula, Marcia Cross, Thomas Gibson, Matt Lauer, and Marla Maples.
The character of Vietnam vet John Hudson was created specifically for David Forsythe. AW's then producer John Whitesall knew David from school and knew about Forsythe's own Vietnam experiences.
Many actors got their roles testing for other characters. Both Ricky Paul Goldin (Dean Frame) and Chris Bruno (Dennis Wheeler) tested for the role of Sam Fowler. Judi Evans auditioned for the Vicky Hudson recast, but got the Paulina recast instead. Anna Stuart auditioned for the role of Felicia Gallant; producers loved her so much they created Donna Love specifically for her. Meanwhile, MArk Pinter auditioned for the role of Grant Harrison, but lost to Dack Rambo. After Rambo left, producers called Pinter back to takeover the role.
Originally, Mac and Rachel were not planned to have a romantic coupling. Writer Head writer Harding Lemay noticed the chemistry between actors Douglass Watson and Victoria Wyndham, and wrote a slow-developing love story for them. Fearing backlash from viewers who may have found an older man-younger woman relationship tasteless, Lemay penned chance encounters for the two characters, which led to innocent yet intimate conversations. By the time the characters had their first kiss, the story had gone on for six months.