Both lead actors changed due to delays while the film was in pre-production. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi was originally cast as Anne while Paul Kircher was Théo. When he dropped out, Paul suggested his younger brother Samuel to director Catherine Breillat.
Director Catherine Breillat said that they shot one of the film's love scenes between Théo and Anne the same day Samuel Kircher got his baccalaureate results. He passed.
When filming scenes where Anne falls in love with young Théo, director Catherine Breillat told 50-year-old actress Léa Drucker to imagine she was the 15-year-old title character in Pauline at the Beach (1983).