In an after film Q&A, director Michael Sarnoski revealed the pig only had three days of training and bit Nicolas Cage multiple times. After a particularly nasty bite, Cage joked: "I've been set on fire, I've been in flipped cars but it'll be sepsis from a pig bite that kills me."
The budget was very small, so they couldn't hire a trained pig.
According to director Michael Sarnoski, he only had 20 days to make the movie, so all actors had to get everything right from the first time as there was no budget for re-shoots or delays.
Nearly one hour was cut from the movie as distributors thought it was too long.
Director Michael Sarnoski was thrilled with Nicolas Cage's dedication and preparedness for the role. In fact, Cage would invariably nail his performance in just one or two takes.