Authenticity was a major factor in Grand Theft Parsons. Knoxville rides the actual trike Kaufman rode, a 1966 Harley Davidson and Kaufman was kind enough to loan Knoxville the very jacket he wore when he stole the body. This authenticity even extended to the hair on set. As Christina Applegate says " I researched the hairstyles of the seventies and even wore authentic Charlie Girl perfume, just like my Grandma wore." Christina wanted to make her hair longer with extensions but at $2,000 a pop these were way over budget. Luckily, her last project had been The Sweetest Thing and as an end of shoot gift Cameron Diaz had bought Christina hair treatments. She cashed in this present to enable her to have the right look for Grand Theft Parsons.

At the actual time of the body snatching in 1973 Kaufman's house was being used as a location for the movie Night Moves. The director Arthur Penn and star Gene Hackman were shooting in Kaufman's house when the police came to arrest him. Hackman on hearing the story remarked "I think we're shooting the wrong movie". Unfortunately Kaufman’s house on Chandler Boulevard had been razed but Night

Moves was an invaluable research tool when it came to recreating Kaufman's house for the scenes in Grand Theft Parsons.