- Actor-Shared Background: Some of Maria's life was based on Ava Gardner's. Her stormy romance tycoon movie producer Kirk Edwards was based on Gardner's own relationship with Howard Hughes.
- Hostility on the Set: Ava Gardner found Humphrey Bogart hard to work with because he argued with everybody. He wasn't particularly impressed with her as an actress, saying that she gave him nothing to work with when they were performing together. Some believe that his unfavorable feelings towards her was due to her divorce from his close friend Frank Sinatra.
- What Could Have Been:
- Marlon Brando turned down the role of Harry Dawes, telling Joseph L. Mankiewicz, "I'm not making pictures about movie stars this year. I'm not even into being a movie star, myself."
- Rita Hayworth was offered the role of Maria Vargas. In fact, the character was loosely based on her. Joan Collins and Elizabeth Taylor were also considered.
- Mankiewicz wanted James Mason (who had co-starred with Gardner before in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman) to play the nobleman. MGM executive Nicholas Schenck, who had had a vehement disagreement with Mankiewicz, would not release Mason for the film. He ended up with Rossano Brazzi, "who cannot act, cannot be sensual...could hardly speak English..." Ironically, Rosemary Matthews, who was hired to help Brazzi with his English, and Mankiewicz later married.
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