To get the project financed, Oldman reached out to the director, Luc Besson, for help. The star and filmmaker had previously worked together on Besson’s hitman thriller Léon: The Professional, and Besson agreed to come on board Nil By Mouth as the producer. After the film’s release, Besson called Oldman and asked him to star in his next movie. “I was singing for my supper,” noted Oldman of the deal made to star in the movie.