According to an interview with John Goodman in the article "'No Leading Man, King Ralph Insists" published in the February 12, 1991 edition of the Los Angeles Times, Goodman denied his new leading man status in this movie, and said he was still just a character actor. Goodman said: "Don't call me a leading man. This is just another part, with a lot more lines. The only difference for me this time, was that I didn't have time to fool around when I wasn't working. When you're the leading man, your meter's running all the time, and you're always working. There's no goof-off time. But that still doesn't make me a leading man. I'm still just a character actor. Nobody's ready to call me Mel Gibson, Jr., and I don't think anybody's ready to pay good money to see me get the girl in the movie. I know I wouldn't go see something like that."
During this movie, King Ralph (John Goodman) and Miranda (Camille Coduri) go to a Burger King, where Ralph fails to get a Whopper. One of John Goodman's first acting jobs was in a commercial for Burger King, where he happily consumes a Whopper.
First top-billed starring role of John Goodman. On movie posters, the part was also Goodman's first sole name-above-the-title billing.