The scene in the woods with James Woods and Vincent Kartheiser was completely improvised and involved Woods hitting Kartheiser repeatedly with his fingers. The gestures are so rough and sudden that you can hear each hit and see Kartheiser's genuine surprise, respectively. Afterwards, Kartheiser went up to director Larry Clark and said, simply, "I didn't know that motherfucker was going to hit me."
This was the final movie to receive the famous "Two Thumbs Up" from film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.
The Director's Cut DVD includes a second sex scene between Natasha Gregson and Vincent Kartheiser at the motel. According to audio commentary by Larry Clark, the scene had to be cut in order to avoid an NC-17 rating.
Director Larry Clark didn't believe that Vincent Kartheiser, then 18, was of a legal age for his role (involving nudity, sexual situations, and drug use) and wouldn't cast him until he was able to prove his age. Kartheiser was cast once he produced his driver's license.
''I was, like, 'O.K., what do these two want?,' '' said Natasha Gregson Wagner, reflecting on why it took her only seconds to reject Larry Clark's proposal that one of her love scenes with Vincent Kartheiser be several degrees kinkier than previously arranged. ''I knew if Larry really believed in the idea, he wouldn't have come with Vincent and he wouldn't have waited until the day of to discuss it with me. So I was, like, 'Nope. Not going to do it. Sorry.' And they were just like little kids, just like, 'Waaaahhh.' ''