The author of the novel, E. Annie Proulx, would only grant the movie rights to the book upon the condition that it be filmed on-location in Newfoundland.
The Newfoundland band Great Big Sea very much wanted to have music in the soundtrack, so they "seeded" the stereos in director Lasse Hallström's and stars' bed-and-breakfast with their CDs, hoping that the music would catch their attention. It did, and the band has five songs in the movie, four in the diner scenes and one at the party. The songs are not contained in the movie's official soundtrack however, instead, there is a score composed by Christopher Young.
Gordon Pinsent (Billy Pretty) was the only leading actor who was a native Newfoundlander. He was a dialect coach for several actors and actresses in this movie, including Kevin Spacey and Dame Judi Dench.
The scenes in which Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) is in the water were filmed at a tank in St. John's, Newfoundland (normally used for testing boats and marine technology). The tank, which normally contains cold Atlantic sea water, had to be specially filled with warm water for Spacey's comfort.