Director Matteo Garrone pushed Marcello Fonte to drink whiskey before performing some scenes, so that he could be more easily in the mood of his character.
Official submission of Italy for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.
Roberto Benigni was offered the role of Marcello in 2006 but turned it down. He went on to portray Geppetto in Matteo Garrone's next film Pinocchio (2019), which also featured Marcello Fonte.
Matteo Garrone was initially set to make the film in 2006, but put it aside, unsatisfied with the way it was shaping up. In 2017, he stopped pre-production on Pinocchio (2019) to concentrate on this project again.