The Exorcist (film) shot that obscured his face, as Friedkin felt that Vandis's face would be connected with his previous role in the Woody Allen film "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)". Vandis had previously played Milos Stavros, an Armenian shepherd who was in love with a sheep. Warners had approached Arthur Penn, Stanley Kubrick, and Mike Nichols, to direct, all of whom turned the project down. Originally Mark Rydell was hired to direct, but William Peter Blatty insisted on Friedkin instead, because he wanted his film to have the same energy as Friedkin's previous film,
Irène Bordoni pictures including "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)" (1972), "Pennies from Heaven" (1981) and "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994). Porter later included Bordoni's name in the lyrics of his song "You're the Top" ("you're the eyes of Irène Bordoni") from the musical "Anything Goes" (1934). Throughout her Broadway career, Bordoni was renowned for wearing only the most stylish of clothes, including costumes by Erté. During this time, Bordoni appeared in Lucky Strike cigarette advertisements with the quip, "I smoke a Lucky to keep petite," which was said to have contributed to the tremendous increase