After filming was completed, Woody Harrelson walked up to director Scott Cooper, hugged him and said "I have never wanted to shed a character so badly in my life".
Christian Bale learned to operate a furnace for the film and didn't use a double for his scenes inside the steel mill.
Co-writer and director Scott Cooper decided to use Braddock, Pennsylvania, as the main location for his film after reading an article about it. The former steel town had been in decline for years, and its Mayor had been doing his best to revitalize the area.
Some of the actors and actresses worked on adapting the very specific Pittsburgh accent. Willem Dafoe did not, since he was relatively late to join the movie.