Cartwright, best known as the voice of Bart Simpson, explains to THR her own journey that inspired the new film.

Back in 1985, Nancy Cartwright had no idea that one of her acting teachers recommending Italian director Federico Fellini’s 1954 film La Strada would have such a deep impact on her life.

After developing a connection to the drama and its characters, Cartwright made it her mission to turn it into a one-woman show and even reached out to Fellini himself to gain rights to the movie. But when his office’s response turned her down, Cartwright didn’t take “no” for answer, and soon she was in Italy in search of the filmmaker.

“I’d never been to Italy before. I’m in my 20’s — though I can’t speak the language. So, I took off. I ate, I drank, I fell in love — I did everything a single woman should and shouldn’t do when visiting,” the actress and screenwriter explains. “I got in trouble. And when you watch [Cartwright’s film In Search of Fellini] you’ll see, because about 70 percent of what you see, I did that.”

See the rest of this article and watch the interview at The Hollywood Reporter.