Steve McQueen, a sports enthusiast, learned to play polo for the film and was taught by Gary Wooten and Neil R. Ayer, real-life polo players, as well as by first assistant director Jack N. Reddish, who was a nationally ranked player at the time.
When Catherine sees Anna (Esther Cañadas) in Thomas' bedroom, Pierce Brosnan was instructed to physically hold onto Rene Russo, so that she would have to struggle to get away from him. Russo did not know that Brosnan was going to hold on to her.