The second adaption of Weldon's novel, after the BBC television miniseries "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil" was broadcast in 1986, the film was shot amid the first season break of Barr's ABC sitcom "Roseanne", in New York City throughout spring and summer 1989. For a while, Streep, who was one of the first actresses to read the script, considered taking the part of Ruth herself but later opted to play Fisher instead, as she felt she had dealt with a similar subject in her previous film "A Cry in the Dark" (1988).