For scheduling conflicts Shia LaBeouf dropped off the project, Nicolas Cage who is a close friend of Paul Schrader recommended Tye Sheridan to play Cirk as they previously collaborated on Joe (2013).
Because the film's budget was so low, there were really only one or two takes for each scene. Oscar Isaac found this be both challenging and very refreshing.
This a truly independent film; every one who gave money got an exec producer credit. At 20 E.P. credits in the opening credit reel it is a Hollywood record.
The motivations for why Oscar Isaac's character wraps his motel room furniture in white cloth are never really explained. However, it stems from when Paul Schrader made Cat People (1982). His production designer, Ferdinando Scarfiotti, did exactly the same thing as he was so offended by the blandness of American motels and their interior decor.
Filming was stopped by the producers on March 16, 2020, with five days remaining, after an actor who had flown in from Los Angeles for a few scenes tested positive for COVID-19. Director Paul Schrader was furious, calling the producers "pussified" in a Facebook post, and said that he would have "shot through hellfire rain" to finish filming.