Although the film was shot in Kenya, Africa, the lions used for filming had to be transported from California because Kenya’s law prohibits the use of wild animals for filming.
Audrey Hepburn was originally going to play the role of Karen.
A lot of Bleeson’s real furniture was used in the filming.
In order to change her accent, Meryl Streep listened specifically to tapes of real Karen reading works.
In the filming, there was a scene in which Karen crossed a dangerous area to deliver a carriage to her husband and was attacked by a lion, but the lion was not caught and almost bit Streep. Streep's horrified expression was recorded by the camera.
Seventy percent of the film's scenes were shot in Africa.
The Danish winter scene in the film was shot in the north of England.
Leslie Phillips suffered from kidney disease due to dehydration when filming the film.
