Paul Bettany was cast as Swede, Jennifer Connelly as his wife and Evan Rachel Wood as their daughter. All dropped out in 2004, after the movie spent many years in development. After 10 years, Connelly returned in the lead role, alongside Ewan McGregor.
Ewan McGregor insisted on rehearsals and clearing the set for the actors to become familiar with each other and their characters so they could comfortably work together before shooting any scenes.
During the shoot Ewan McGregor would hone his New Jersey accent by listening to recordings of Ray Liotta dialog while on location.