When production ran over budget, the studio wanted to cut the red carpet scene at the film's ending. Halle Berry desperately wanted to keep the scene, so she paid for it herself. HBO subsequently reimbursed her.
Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award (Carmen Jones (1954)). Halle Berry is the first African-American to win a Best Actress Academy Award (Monster's Ball (2001)).
The vocals of Dorothy Dandridge were performed by Wendi Williams, one of the vocalists in For Real band.