Evie (Juliet Stevenson), Julia's (Annette Bening's) maid, insinuates that Dolly de Vries (Miriam Margolyes) may be a lesbian for always visiting during Julia's massages. This may be an in-joke, as Margolyes has been with her partner, Heather Sutherland, since 1968.
Director István Szabó has directed in films both actress Glenn Close and actor Jeremy Irons who were both the leads in Barbet Schroeder's 'Reversal of Fortune' (1990). Szabó directed them in 'Meeting Venus' (1991) and 'Being Julia' (2004) respectively. Both pictures were about stage productions and had a title which featured a female name.