James Spader and Christian Clemenson play brothers in this film. They would star together again in Boston Justice (2004), this time playing colleagues who become good friends.
The film garnered a lot of unwarranted PR as it was released roughly around the same time that Rob Lowe's infamous sex tape came to light.
In chapter seventeen of Rob Lowe's autobiography "Stories I Only Tell My Friends", he describes being at rehearsals in a church off Highland Avenue when he is asked to approve his make-up artist, Sheryl Berkoff. He recognizes her because, years before, they'd been on a blind date together. He describes her as 'an artist of the face' who 'knows her shit cold'. In July of 1991, he married her.
He also suggests that Bad Influence was originally submitted as a writing sample to producer Steve Tisch ("the only man with both an Oscar and a Superbowl trophy").
Lowe had originally wanted to play the role of Michael, "the average Joe", but was taken to lunch by David Koepp and talked into taking the role of Alex.
He describes Tom Brokaw leading the evening news with the Rob Lowe sex tapes and following that item with news about Tiananmen square.