Conversation so far:
Who was cast in the 1954 film La Strada?
Fellini secured financing through the producers Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti, who wanted to cast Silvana Mangano as Gelsomina and Burt Lancaster as Zampanò, but Fellini refused these choices.
Who did Federico Fellini want to cast for the 1954 film La Strada?
Giulietta Masina had been the inspiration for the entire project, so Fellini was determined never to accept an alternative to her.
How else besides Giulietta Masina, did Federico Fellini decide who to cast for the 1954 film La Strada?
For Zampanò, Fellini had hoped to cast a nonprofessional and, to that end, he tested a number of circus strongmen, to no avail.

Question: Who else did he like?
Self-contained rewrite: Who else did Federico Fellini like for the part of Il Matto in the 1954 film La Strada?