André Øvredal said that Olwen Catherine Kelly had the most difficult role in the film, and he credited her with making everyone else comfortable on the set.
The Norwegian director André Øvredal was inspired to do a horror movie after attending a screening of The Conjuring (2013). He immediately called his agent and told them that they should try and find a good horror script for him. A month later they showed him this script and he was immediately interested.
Although there are some prosthetics used, the role of the naked corpse, for the most part was played by actress Olwen Catherine Kelly. André Øvredal felt that it was necessary to have a live actress for the part to help connect the audience on a human level. On some level the decision was also a practical one as Øvredal believes that doing some of the close up scenes with a prosthetic would've been impossible.
Stephen King said of the film, "THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE: Visceral horror to rival ALIEN and early Cronenberg. Watch it, but not alone."
Olwen Catherine Kelly was the first person interviewed for the role. André Øvredal said they performed further interviews afterward, but he instantly knew she was right for the role.