Jackie Guerra wanted the part of Suzette Quintanilla so badly that she lied at her audition, saying that she was an experienced drummer, when in fact she had never played the drums. When the truth was revealed, Suzette Quintanilla herself gave Guerra private lessons.
Jennifer Lopez became the highest paid Latina woman in Hollywood history by playing Selena Quintanilla-Perez, earning a then-unheard of $1,000,000.
When Jennifer Lopez signed on to play Selena, she expected to be providing her own vocals. However, it was felt that since the movie would be released so soon after Selena's death, her fans would not approve of hearing any voice other than hers. So, Lopez was coached to lip-sync instead of being provided the vocal coaching she expected, although she did sing the intro to "Como La Flor" in the Monterrey concert scene.
In the scene where Chris Perez (played by Jon Seda) first appears, the close up of his hands playing the guitar are in fact the hands of the real Chris Pérez.