After filming "Ripe," then sixteen-year-old unknown Monica Keena got her big break as the star in Polygram/Interscope's Biancaneve nella Foresta Nera (1997). But it was her portrayal of the budding nymphet Violet, in her first starring role, that she really got Polygram concerned. Not wanting to see their new ingenue deflowered before the release of "Snow White," they showed interest in buying the independent picture. Polygram refused to comment on their reasons at the time.
Monica Keena says that her film Ripe (1996) is the movie that she is most proud of.
During the New York run of the controversial film Ripe (1996), stars Monica Keena and Daisy Eagan would regularly attend screenings to view the audience's reactions and meet with them afterward.
Aerial coordination for the movie was done by well known South Carolina skydiver and pilot Bobby Frierson. Bobby made over 6,000 jumps. Nine years after "Ripe" was filmed Bobby died in a skydiving accident on September 11, 2005. He'd previously had a stroke on January 30, 2000. At the time of his death he had five children and five grandchildren. Bobby's buried in Denmark, SC in Denmark Cemetery next to his parents and his sister. After his death Bobby gained eight great grandchildren.
Local Barnwell, SC skydivers John Adair, Mike Holbert, and Terry Curtis were cast as paratroopers in "Ripe". John Adair, Mike Holbert, and Terry Curtis skydived with the late Bobby Frierson until the time of his stroke in 2000.