Rudolf Nureyev, a Russian-born dancer, was initially asked by Russell to appear as dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, after Russell had uncovered lore that Valentino had taught Nijinsky the tango in New York; Russell envisioned the film's opening sequence consisting of this interaction. However, after several unsuccessful attempts at casting the role of Valentino (Paul Clarke, a dancer who was initially cast, died of a heart attack prior to production), Russell proposed to the producers that they ask Nureyev to instead star in the title role. Nureyev had previously been considered to play Valentino by director Vittorio De Sica in a biopic that never came to fruition. After meeting with Nureyev in Amsterdam in 1975, Winkler and Chartoff concluded: "There was no doubt in any of our minds as the evening ended that the part was his. The Nijinsky role was subsequently granted to Anthony Dowell. Because Nureyev had a years' worth of dancing obligations booked at the time, the production was postponed until 1976 when Nureyev had availability. Though he agreed to the project, Nureyev had some reservations based on Russell's reputation for being strong willed: "We both have strong personalities and opinions, but it was his film, and naturally he knows far more about films than I do."