Justin Chatwin, who isn't a singer, had his songs dubbed by other performers, which director Jeffrey St. Jules liked as it brought a sense of unrealism with his character.
Costume designer Sarah Millman looked to Ann-Margret's character in Amor a Toda Velocidade (1964) on how to dress Stepphy's character, in addition to referencing Lula magazine a lot.
Justin Chatwin based his character as a combination of Elvis Presley, Vanilla Ice and Justin Bieber, especially the latter's mugshot photo.
Some of the influences for the film were Douglas Sirk's Tudo que o Céu Permite (1955), Todd Haynes' Longe do Paraíso (2002), Jacques Demy's Os Guarda-Chuvas do Amor (1964), Vincente Minnelli's Sinfonia de Paris (1951), David Lynch and old Elvis Presley films.