Blake Lively was originally cast in the lead role but the production company that was funding the movie dropped out after learning of her casting only to return after Rooney Mara took over the role from Lively.
Jude Law admitted that he felt insecure as an actor playing the lead role, as it was his first performance in which he was playing a husband and father, as he is in real life, and his first role where he used his normal accent and did not have any hair or makeup change.
Steven Soderbergh considered casting Lindsay Lohan for the role of Emily and he auditioned her three times. However, producers felt that her ongoing legal issues would disrupt the production process. Rooney Mara was eventually cast for the part.
Rooney Mara said in a 2013 interview that nudity is no big deal as long as it makes sense within the context of the film. She said, "If the character should be nude in the scene and it makes sense and I trust the person making the film, then I don't see a problem with it. I certainly don't want to be involved in anything that is gratuitous, but I don't think the human body is something to be ashamed of. Every other person on the planet has the same parts as I do. So seeing them shouldn't be a huge shock to most people."