Writer, Producer, and Director Anthony Waller met Sir Alec Guinness quite by chance in Hamburg in 1985, where he asked him if he was interested in doing a one-scene cameo. To his surprise, Guinness said he'd be delighted and that he would do it for free. The problem was that Guinness was fully booked for the next eighteen months, so Waller suggested they shoot the scene the following morning in an underground car park. Guinness readily agreed and, true to his word, took no payment.
Writer, Producer, and Director Anthony Waller filmed Sir Alec Guinness' scenes ten years before the rest of the movie from an earlier draft of the screenplay. Guinness gave his performance in one morning before catching a plane. When Waller needed an additional scene, he used the film from earlier and reversed it.
Marina Zudina (Billy Hughes) did not speak English at the time, but as her character was mute anyway, she could still pose for an American.
Originally set in Chicago, Illinois, Writer, Producer, and Director Anthony Waller changed the location when told that Moscow would provide much cheaper sets and labor.