When the producers met Takayo Fischer and Chris Tashima during initial rounds of auditions, neither of them were right for any roles in the script. However, they took an interest in the actors, and Kerri Sakamoto rewrote the script, creating the roles of Takayo for Fischer, and Mark for Tashima.
Reiko Mathieu and Chris Tashima, who play onscreen lovers, attended Willard Jr. High School together in the early 70s, in Berkeley, California.