The production designers went to a great deal of trouble to make this film look like it was made in the era it was set, including avoiding quick edits, softening the colour palette and using a relevant font for the film credits.
Vintage 1950s colour newsreel footage was digitally cleaned up for this film to add authenticity to establishing shots of London.
Kazuo Ishiguro had dreamed of doing a remake of Ikiru (1952) in English with Bill Nighy for many years. One night, he and his wife ended up sharing a cab with Nighy after a party, and he pitched the idea. Nighy had never seen Ikiru, but once he watched it, he enthusiastically signed on to the project.
To help him get into character, Bill Nighy purposely made his voice thinner, as if Mr. Williams had trouble getting his voice out of his body, such was the extent of his own repression.
During a Q&A at the 2022 AFI Film Festival, Bill Nighy confessed that despite numerous opportunities, he has not seen the finished film. He dislikes watching himself onscreen, and hasn't watched most of his films.
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