The real Norman Lloyd denounced the film, and pointed out that contrary to his portrayal as a lecher, he was a recently married man at the time. He did however concede that Christian McKay's performance as Welles was excellent.
The production of "Julius Caesar" that the film depicts ran for 157 performances during its run at the Mercury Theatre and later at the larger National Theatre (where it was transferred), by far the longest run of the play in Broadway history.
Lindsay Lohan was the top choice to play Muriel Brassler. She screen tested for the role and was close to signing a deal shortly before filming began. However, the producers found her impossible to insure due to her ongoing legal troubles at the time of production.
The part of Lucius in "Julius Caesar" that was played by the character Richard Samuels in the film was actually played on the production's opening night by an actor named Arthur Anderson, who was making his Broadway debut. Anderson is best known as the voice of Lucky the Leprechaun, the mascot of General Mills' Lucky Charms cereal, a part he played for 29 years.