The mole on the side of Sir Anthony Hopkins' (Coleman Silk's) head was added, due to the fact that Wentworth Miller (Young Coleman Silk) has a mole on the side of his head. Hopkins also wore green contacts to match the color of Miller's eyes.
To prepare for her role, Nicole Kidman (Faunia Farley) visited women's shelters and talked to former victims of abuse for inspiration.
The racist white man on the train who berates the porter was played by Allison Davis, a Chicago attorney, who is part black.
Theatrical movie debut of Wentworth Miller (Young Coleman Silk). Nicole Kidman (Faunia Farley) appeared in Miller's debut as a screenwriter, Stoker (2013).
In Blake Bailey's controversial (but authorized-by-Roth) 2021 biography of Philip Roth, Bailey says that during the filming of The Human Stain, Roth tried to romantically pursue Nicole Kidman, but turned on her when she didn't seem to realize that was what was happening:
"In 2002, Roth made the acquaintance of Nicole Kidman, who'd been cast as Faunia Farley in his acclaimed novel The Human Stain. She and Roth had a divorce lawyer in common, Bill Beslow, who mentioned to Roth that she wanted to chat about Faunia over the phone. Roth advised her to go to a battered women's shelter and talk to the most intelligent woman there, then suggested they discuss things further over dinner in New York. Roth's 'one and only hangout' in the city then was Russian Samovar, on West 52nd Street, where he was always ebulliently greeted by the owner, Roman Kaplan. 'Hello, beautiful,' said Kaplan, when Kidman arrived on Roth's arm, and the waitresses skittered across the street to buy disposable cameras at Rexall's. The night was a success: Roth and Kidman 'hit it off,' he remembered, and on the sidewalk afterward pedestrians erupted, 'Nicole! ... Nicole!'.... Roth claimed his friendship with Kidman had petered out after a few phone calls, but a reliable source said there was at least one more abortive date. Roth, who'd excitedly hired a limo for the evening, arrived at Kidman's hotel and was taken aback when she came down to the lobby with a puzzled look, dressed in jeans. Apologetically she explained that she thought their date was for the next night, and offered to join him in the hotel bar for a glass of wine or something. Roth, however, was furious and left in a huff. Later a friend of his met Kidman and mentioned Roth. 'Tell him to grow up,' the actress replied."