Trivia

Diane Ladd and Laura Dern's Oscar nominations mark the first time a mother and daughter ever received such an accolade for appearing in the same film. The only other time that a parent and child received acting nominations for the same film was when Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda were both nominated for On Golden Pond (1981).

In reference to the bed scene between Laura Dern and Lukas Haas, director Martha Coolidge said: "Lukas was sort of the perfect age to play the part of Buddy. It was important not to have a child, because the scene would have been unpleasant. It was also important not to have a man, because the scene would have meant something else." Capitalizing on the actor's curiosity about sex, Coolidge says, "Lukas knows that acting is living. He has made 25 movies. His great gift in Rambling Rose is that he shared something important, his first experience with sex, with the audience. Yet the whole scene is an illusion, except when he touches Laura's breasts."

Laura Dern dated Renny Harlin for a time after wrapping this film. She later got involved with Jeff Goldblum after filming Jurassic Park (1993). Goldblum's ex-wife, Geena Davis, was married to Harlin.

When Laura Dern phoned her maternal grandmother in Alabama with the news that she and Diane Ladd had both been nominated for Oscars for this film, her grandma replied "Oh. That's good. Still wish you'd been a hand model."

Producer Renny Harlin originally wanted to direct, but Martha Coolidge had done so much work already that Harlin stayed only as producer, but was on the set all time.