Pablo Schreiber noted that this film presented a new opportunity for him after years of playing testosterone-fueled, uber-macho characters that heavily emphasized his toughness and masculinity. "Even though this character has all those elements - he is a guy who is getting out of jail - the ability to be soft and show that side was something I was attracted to," he said. He additionally toned down his usual sculpted physique for a softer look complete with a beer belly for this role.
Pablo Schreiber had to lose his six pack abs, develop a gut and put on 30 pounds of weight to convincingly play an ex-convict released from prison after many years. Schreiber was coming off filming the second season of American Gods (2017) where he sported an excessively cut & shredded look. Schreiber said of his transformation, "I was coming off a project where I was very physically fit. But I was very lean. So I just took 2 or 3 months after I finished that to eat everything I wanted. And because I already had that muscle structure underneath, my body just ballooned. So I stayed large and girthy looking. But I didn't get overly fat." Schreiber noted it was liberating to not have to monitor his diet after starving himself for the ripped look he had previously.
The film premiered virtually at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, which was not held in person due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. It was invited back for the 2021 festival to screen in-person.
Sabrina Doyle was drawn to setting the film in the Pacific Northwest because she grew up loving David Lynch's Twin Peaks, which was also set and sometimes shot in the area.