C. Thomas Howell had to wear colored contacts when his skin was toned to look black. His eyes are normally a goldish color and really stood out once his skin was darkened.
Tim Robbins was cast in the lead, but dropped out when the filming of Howard the Duck (1986) went over schedule.
The house where Mark has dinner with the Dunbars was a set that was later donated to the California Institute of the Arts and is used by students for filming.