In a 2020 interview with Daily Dead,
Sam Raimi spoke about the design of the arm and its importance: "There were local effects artists, and there were a lot of them in Vancouver where I worked. Some guys and girls drafted it up, other people made the molds, other people did the designs on the arm, and then we did a group that did the cast of this thing. I loved working with the Vancouver crew. It was all done in a flash, really fast like a TV episode. I went up there, we quickly did prep, put a few things together, and then shot and came home and cut it together in a very short amount of time. One of my requests, as strange as a request as it might be, 'Could it be an appealing thing?' Could the designer make it something that was desirable and not off-putting. Together the team that designed and cast it did a very nice job. I think part of what helped them achieve their goal was that we had in contrast the first artificial limb that
Rachel Brosnahan's character wore, and we were able to make that a little more cold and unappealing, so that in comparison, the golden arm seemed more welcoming.
What also what helped the appeal was our director of photography put a beautiful golden-hued light on it, and he made sure the sun was streaming in that barn, and most of it is just sold through Rachel's performance. That made her happy, and I think that's what left the impression on the audience that it was a pretty thing."