Writer and Director Neil Jordan has always maintained that the released version of this film is very different from the one he shot. He was more or less excluded from the editing process of the final cut. He insists that his version is still locked away in a vault.
Of his co-star Daryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg said she was "sweet and shy and very complex. She played the Irish accent well." Regarding Peter O'Toole, Guttenberg said, "He stood his ground, knew when to say 'no'. Not that he was difficult. When the camera rolled, he was perfect. Off the set, he was very private, reminding me of a bad boy who had done it all."
Sir Sean Connery was offered the role of Peter Plunkett by the studio. He later dropped out of the film, and the role was re-cast with Peter O'Toole.
The fish on the table is whistling "rakes of mallow."