To find a young actor for the role of Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, director John Waters bought thirty dollars worth of teen magazines, all of which showed Johnny Depp of 21 Jump Street (1987) on the cover. Depp thought the script was funny and strange, and took the offbeat role to avoid being typecast as a television teen idol.
Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr., and Jim Carrey were all considered for the role of Cry-Baby until Johnny Depp was cast.
In an interview about the movie, Traci Lords emotionally recalled how the entire cast rallied together to make her feel welcomed and safe. FBI agents visited the set of this movie to issue Lords a subpoena in regards to her having acted in pornographic films when she was 16 years old. While the agents tried to track down Lords, John Waters and other members of the cast and crew would hide Lords because the 22 year old was so terrified about the ordeal. Afterwards, Lords recounted how various members of the cast and crew related embarrassing stories they had about run-ins with the law to show her that she wasn't alone.
Iggy Pop shaved his hair for the film. John Waters still has a lock of his hair in a scrapbook at home.