Anthony Quinn was working on a film with Giulietta Masina (Donne Proibite - 1954) when she introduced him to her husband, Federico Fellini. He was immediately convinced that the Mexican-born actor would make the perfect Zampanò the strongman in his new film, which was to become A Estrada da Vida (1954), and implored him to accept the role. The nonplussed actor, who had no idea who Fellini was, initially turned him down, but Fellini was persistent, pestering him for days about the project. Shortly thereafter, Quinn spent the evening with Ingrid Bergman and her husband, director Roberto Rossellini. After dinner, the three watched Fellini's most recent film, the comedy-drama Os Boas Vidas (1953), and Quinn realized with astonishment that the crazy Italian filmmaker who had been hounding him for days was a genius.
Federico Fellini had an extraordinarily difficult time finding producers who were willing to back the film. Several of the producers who had previously financed Fellini's work felt that the script was promising but that the film would be unlikely to turn a profit. Other potential backers were turned off by Fellini's insistence that his wife, Giulietta Masina, should play the role of Gelsomina. Fellini began shooting the film before any financial backers had officially signed on.
Walt Disney expressed serious interest in creating an animated feature based on Gelsomina, and there was interest from doll manufacturers and sweets firms to use her name. "I could have lived on Gelsomina for twenty years," Fellini said.
Won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Anthony Quinn said in an interview a few years before his death that he originally accepted a deal that would have paid him a percentage of the profits this film may have generated instead of an upfront salary. After his agent found out about it, he changed the deal and insisted an upfront salary and no percentage. Quinn said that decision cost him several million dollars.