Ralf Müller was initially cast as Ben, but he dropped out of the project two weeks before shooting. The filmmakers then came across 'Maximilian Simonischek' who auditioned and got the part.
The American Ben meets in the bar, Phil Winter, is named after Wim Wenders' alter ego character who appears in several of Wenders' movies. His daughter's name Sofia is a tribute to director Sofia Coppola.
Peter Engel's guitar is named Zooey as a tribute to actress Zooey Deschanel. Furthermore, J.D. Salinger's book "Franny and Zooey" is a favorite of director Christian Genzel.