The 1956 film "Gervaise" directed by René Clément was also a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film; while in Hollywood, Schell met with Yul Brynner, who urged for her casting in "The Brothers Karamazov" (1958) in the role of Grushenka. Schell also starred with Gary Cooper in "The Hanging Tree" (1959), and with Glenn Ford in "Cimarron" (1960). Other famous movie parts included "Le notti bianche" (1957), "Rose Bernd" (1957), and "Superman" (1978). Schell played Mother Maria in the sequel to "Lilies of the Field" titled "Christmas Lilies of the Field".