Sir Michael Caine was extremely impressed with Dame Julie Walters' performance because, even though Walters had never acted in a movie before, he thought she was a born natural.
Sir Michael Caine has said that knew he wouldn't win the Academy Award for Best Actor as soon as he saw that he was seated away from the front row at the ceremony. He was still given a standing ovation afterward anyway.
This movie inspired many marriage break-ups according to Dame Julie Walters (Rita). While receiving the Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Film at the Moet British Independent Film Awards in 2013, Walters said: "I get people who come up to me and say 'I left my husband because of you, because of that film', or 'I got an education'. So many."
Sir Michael Caine stated that he based his performance on Emil Jannings, and his unrequited love for Marlene Dietrich in L'ange bleu (1930).