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,
Hamlet on screen 43 Minutes" (GB, 1957), "Danger Within" (GB, 1958), "The Pure Hell of St Trinian's" (GB, 1960), "Shakespeare Wallah" (India, 1965), "The Magic Christian" (GB, 1969), "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask" (USA, 1972), "Theatre of Blood" (GB, 1973), "Mephisto" (Hungary, 1981), "An Englishman Abroad" (GB, 1983), "Withnail and I" (GB, 1986), "Comic Relief 2" (GB, 1989), "Great Expectations" (GB/USA, 1989), "Hysteria 2" (GB, 1989), "The Voice Over Queen" (USA, 1990) and "Tectonic Plates" (GB, 1992). This list includes adaptations of the Hamlet story, and films in which the characters are involved in acting