Trivia

When Michelangelo Antonioni received his honorary Oscar in 1995, the Academy asked Jack Nicholson to present it to him.

Wanting to protect a piece of art that he loved, Jack Nicholson bought the rights to the film shortly after its release and kept it out of circulation for many years. In 2003, he entered into negotiations with Sony to re-release the film.

According to director Bernardo Bertolucci, "Michelangelo Antonioni, a great director, had to wait six years after 'The Passenger' to find the money to do a movie. Someone like Antonioni shouldn't be unemployed for six years."

Jack Nicholson observed that Michelangelo Antonioni regarded his actors as "moving space" and nothing more.

Maria Schneider was suffering from excruciating back pain during filming and would often be in a medicated muddle towards the end of the day, when her pain medications kicked in. In one scene, Jack Nicholson had to physically prop her up.