This film jointly holds the record (with The Color Purple (1985)) for the film with most Oscar nominations without a single win (11).
Audrey Hepburn was offered one of the lead roles in this film.
Doris Day turned down one of the lead roles
Grace Kelly was offered one of the leads in the film.
In one scene, Anne Bancroft throws a drink in Shirley MacLaine's face. The moment was not planned or rehearsed - the look of shock on MacLaine's face is real.
Principal ballerina and girlfriend to Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gelsey Kirkland was offered the role of Emilia. She turned the role down because she "simply wanted no part of Hollywood."
Michael, the choreographer/artistic director, is partly based on Jerome Robbins. James Mitchell was the principal male dancer in Robbins' musical "Billion Dollar Baby" (1945) and participated in his American Theatre Laboratory in the late 1960s; later, while performing with American Ballet Theatre, he partnered executive producer Nora Kaye in Robbins' ballet "Facsimile."
Of Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft, MacLaine was the accomplished dancer. All of the dance scenes featuring Bancroft consist of her striking dancer-like poses while those around her actually danced.