After starring as a down-on-her-luck wannabe singer in 23-minute Kun Shan University student short Whispers in the Reality, Kaohsiung-born Ivy Shao made her acting debut proper in the television series Confucius (2002), as one of the modern university students of the reincarnated philosopher. She has since worked primarily in television dramas such as Taiwan-China co-production Love at Second Sight (2014), romantic-comedy When I see You Again (2015), and romantic drama Beautiful Secret (2015) before taking the leading role in time-travel romance drama Back to 1989 (2016). In 2015, she played a supporting role as the best friend in Chou Ko-tai's 1980s-set youth drama First of May. Her daring role in The Tenants Downstairs as the dangerously seductive Yingru, who collects blood-red suitcases in her sparsely furnished room, is one of the most iconic to emerge from Taiwan cinema in the past decade.

Before entering the film industry, Adam Tsui was the CEO of BMG Music Entertainment Greater China and Sony Music Greater China. He launched the careers of some of the region's hottest music talents including Jay Chou, Wang Leehom, Jolin Tsai and F4. His first film production was Giddens Ko's adaptation of his own novel, You Are the Apple of My Eye. After its huge commercial success in Chinese-speaking markets, including setting the box office record as the highest grossing Chinese-language film ever released in Hong Kong, he founded Taipei-based Amazing Film Studio. He has since produced Guo Jingming's landmark Shanghai-set Tiny Times franchise and local romance Café. Waiting. Love. The Tenants Downstairs is his third collaborations with Ko and his debut as a film director in his own right. His company has seven films in various stages of development for release in the next three years, including Ko's Mon Mon Mon... Monster.