The scene in the video shop with Joan Chen features a shot of the video for L'ultimo imperatore (1987). Chen starred in that movie.
In 2001, this script won the CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) screenwriting award. It was inspired by Alice Wu's own experiences coming out as a gay woman. That win led to the script being produced.
Teddy Zee, then-president of Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment production company, helped Wu get the establishing shot she wanted by allowing Saving Face's camera crew to tag along on a helicopter shoot for Will Smith's Hitch, which was filming at the same time.
Michelle Krusiec said in an interview that her nude love scene with Lynn Chen only took about 20 minutes to shoot, but the anxiety leading up to it was much longer. She said, "I was pretty nervous, because I wasn't sure what to expect. Both Lynn and I did a good job of trying to keep things calm and casual, but you could feel an undercurrent of nerves. We did a couple of takes and planned out some basic movements, but what you see on screen is pretty organic. In between takes we would just lay there and chill out."
Michelle Krusiec, who is heterosexual, said in a 2005 interview that her mom had no problem with her playing a lesbian in the movie, but if she actually were gay, she wouldn't handle it very well or understand because being gay is one of the biggest taboos in Chinese culture.
Alice Wu: The flight announcer's voice in the airport scene and the woman eating an apple on the bus.