Ethan Hawke later admitted he was not fond of the story due to its main theme of classism but was intrigued by Alfonso Cuarón's artistic modernization of it and was eager to work with him and Robert De Niro. He also notes that despite good reviews, it did not do well in the box office due to it being released during James Cameron's Titanic (1997) mania, but did rather well in the home rental market, VHS (and DVD) sales, and movie channel views. To this day, people still approach Hawke and tell him this is one of their favorite romantic movies.
The main character is named "Pip" in Charles Dickens' novel. But it was felt that the name would sound strange in modern times. The character was named "Finn" after Ethan Hawke's dog.
In his book, "What Just Happened?" producer Art Linson reveals that the narration in the movie was written by David Mamet. It was done for free, on the condition that nobody ever find out he did it.
The color green appears in many unexpected forms, ways and objects along the entire movie. In Latin traditions, the color green means hope, and the Spanish title assigned for this production was "Grandes Esperanzas." "Esperanza" is the Spanish word for "hope."