Director Dennis Hopper once said of working with star Don Johnson on this film in a 1990 interview with 'The Guardian': "He wasn't that bad. He has a lot of people with him. He came on to this film with two bodyguards, a cook, a trainer, ah let's see, a helicopter pilot he comes to and from the set in a helicopter, very glamorous let's see, two drivers, a secretary, and, oh yes, his own hair person, his own make-up person, his own wardrobe person. So when he walks to the set he has five people with him."
Virginia Madsen was supposed to appear naked in a bedroom scene, but she decided to put on a negligee because she felt that, 'Not only was the nudity weak storywise, but it didn't let the audience undress her'. Dennis Hopper later admitted that Madsen was right.
The part of as Gloria Harper was originally cast with actress Uma Thurman but in the end the role went to actress Jennifer Connelly.
Dennis Hopper, at the time of the film's release, blamed stars Don Johnson and Virginia Madsen for the poor box office performance of the film. Hopper said of Johnson: "He says he's not going to do anything for this picture until he reads the reviews." Johnson claimed he was so busy shooting Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) with Mickey Rourke that he did not have time to promote "The Hot Spot". Madsen, Hopper explained, was "very embarrassed" by her amount of on-screen nudity.