Director Adrian Lyne used emotionally manipulative tactics on Kim Basinger during the shooting to elicit the performance he wanted from the somewhat new actress, which Basinger later criticized harshly. For example, Lyne did not allow Mickey Rourke and Basinger to talk to each other off-set. The two were kept isolated from each other and Lyne would tell Basinger rumors about how Rourke intended to make her like or dislike him so that she would carry that attitude into the scene. Lyne would also offer Rourke performance notes, but Basinger none, in order to unnerve her. In a very unusual and expensive move along these lines, Lyne shot the film sequentially, so that Basinger's actual emotional breakdown over time would be effectively translated to the screen.

Body doubles were used for Elizabeth (Kim Basinger) throughout the movie.

Kim Basinger owns 14 hours of deleted scenes that MGM thought were very psychologically damaging to people. The footage has never been made available for public viewing, even in the Director's Cut DVD edition.

Mickey Rourke lost thirty pounds (at the behest of the filmmakers) before filming began.

Kim Basinger said she didn't feel like a "real actress" until she made this film.

The two leads ranked #1 on Moviefone's 'The Top 25 Sexiest Movie Couples'. [May 2008]

Jacqueline Bisset was asked to play Elizabeth but declined due to the amount of nudity the script called for. Teri Garr, Isabella Rossellini and Kathleen Turner lobbied hard for the role, losing out to Basinger.

Elizabeth wears white or colorful clothing except when she is with John, when she wears black or grey. See also Dial M for Murder (1954).

Kim Basinger has declared this as her favorite of all the movies she's done, albeit adding "I'm sorry that all of the people who've seen Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986) never saw it in its original form, because so much was cut out of it - even the European version."

Susan Faludi wrote that because Adrian Lyne insisted that "Kim had to be broken down" at one point Mickey Rourke grabbed and slapped Basinger to get her in the mood.

When John and Elizabeth are in the department store just before the scene when they're shopping for a bed, an announcement for a "Mr. Jerry Bruckheimer" over the PA system can be heard in the background.

Demi Moore tried to audition for the lead role, but Adrian Lyne didn't find her worldly enough at 21 to play a divorced art gallery operator.

First full-fledged motion picture starring role for Basinger.

In early March 1984, a press announcement was released from Hollywood that the film would go before the cameras in New York on April 16. Three days before production was scheduled to begin, the original backer, Tri-Star Pictures, pulled out. It seemed that the film was doomed, but within 48 hours it was rescued by PSO (Producers Sales Organization). Shooting began on April 30, 1984 and wrapped August 10. A year later, Hollywood was rife with rumors that the film might never be released. In fact, MGM/UA took it off its 1985 release schedule. After the film tested badly in preview screenings, Lyne said, "We're still editing. This isn't the easiest movie to make or to cut." Finally, in February 1986, almost two years after completion of principal photography, Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986) opened in wide release.

The film was initially supposed to be produced by Tri-Star Pictures. However, the studio dropped the film due to "creative differences" with Adrian Lyne and pressure by Tri-Star's co-owner at the time, Coca-Cola, to tone down some controversial material. As a result, the film was financed independently, and MGM stepped in and released the film.

Sam Shepard was the studio's original choice to play John. Basinger ended up co-starring with him in her next movie, Fool for Love (1985), which came out before this.

The male lead character shares similarities with Fifty Shades of Grey. The former is called John Gray and the latter is Christian Grey. Both are wealthy and like to play sexual games to intimidate and manipulate women.

Adrian Lyne's first version was 5 hours long

In May of 1984, Oscar-winning production designer and former studio head, Richard Sylbert was asked to come to New York for 6 weeks to oversee the production design of this film.

The film was originally supposed to have come out in August 1985.

Elizabeth's gallery contains art by Sarah Charlesworth. This was a famous New Jersey photographer who should not be confused with Canadian actress Sarah Charlesworth.

Ronnie Wood: He appears in the art gallery party scene.

Based on a true story by Elizabeth McNeill. The film stays relatively true to the book except the source material is much more explicit and disturbing. McNeill was basically a sexual prisoner; kept handcuffed to the coffee table most of the time, forbidden to do even the simplest of things for herself, such as brush her own hair or eat, and ended up hospitalized at the end of 9½ weeks. Not the stuff of great box office, so the film played down those parts and kept the eroticism.