The scene in the video shop with Joan Chen features a shot of the video for O Último Imperador (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."
Lynn Chen said she was scared to tell her mom about the nude love scene. She'd been acting since she was really young and her mom always told her "don't ever pose nude!" That was ingrained in Chen's head. When she finally told her, her mom freaked a bit. She didn't care that Chen was having sex with another woman, just that they were naked while doing it.
Alice Wu: The flight announcer's voice in the airport scene and the woman eating an apple on the bus.