After playing Emma Thompson sister in this film, Helena Bonham Carter went on to play the love interest of Thompson's husband, Kenneth Branagh, in Frankenstein. It is rumored that Carter was one of the main reasons for the subsequent Branagh/Thompson divorce. The next woman to play Thompson's sister on film (Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensibility) also followed that role by playing Branagh's love interest (in Hamlet).
One of the many locations used was The Baltic Exchange, St. Mary Axe, London. Soon after filming there it was bombed by the IRA.
Anthony Hopkins accepted the part of Henry Wilcox without reading the script (he was already familiar with the part from reading the novel and had sufficient trust in the Merchant Ivory partnership to do the book justice).
'Miranda Richardson' was offered the 'Emma Thompson' part.
Ismail Merchant had to pay $250,000 for the rights to the E.M. Forster novel to the trustees of Forster's estate, King's College in Cambridge. Merchant considered this an exorbitant sum but he had to match a Hollywood offer that the college was also considering at the time.
'Samuel West' (Leonard Bast) is the real life son of Prunella Scales (Aunt Juley).
The first film to be released by Sony Pictures Classics.
Jemma Redgrave (Evie Wicox) plays the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave (Ruth Wilcox). In real life she is her niece. This is the only time they have shared the screen, although Jemma did act with her Aunt Vanessa on stage in Chekhov's Three Sisters in 1990. The third sister was played by Vanessa's sister and Jemma's aunt, Lynn Redgrave.