 Writer/Director Daniel Minahan (qv)s childhood friend, Dawn  Lagarto, is given a "Special Thanks" credit. He originally wrote the  story using her name for the main character. When it came time to  start filming the producers had legal concerns regarding the use of  a real persons name, but actress Brooke Smith (I) (qv) felt an  affinity for the name and wanted to retain it for her character.  Minahan called the real Dawn Lagarto and got her blessing to use the  name. The real Dawn Lagarto is not an unwed mother, has never  participated in a reality TV series, and has never killed anyone.