The male lead role of Alfonso D'Este was originally cast with Ray Milland, who had been paired with both leading lady Paulette Goddard and director Mitchell Leisen with great success in Kitty (1945). However John Lund, originally cast as second male lead Cesare Borgia, would replace Milland as D'Este, with Macdonald Carey taking the Cesare Borgia role. According to Carey, Milland had done the wardrobe tests for the D'Este role before his reading of the "mess" of a script caused him to walk off the film, the first time in his career that Milland had refused a role. Paramount suspended Milland for ten weeks, which allowed the actor an enjoyable vacation spent skiing and sailing. Milland would have further cause to refuse Paramount Pictures roles, and would have little enthusiasm for the few further films he did make for the studio before ending his twenty year association with Paramount subsequent to Jamaica Run (1953).
Final film of Rose Hobart.
Final film of Robert Greig.
Paulette Goddard had previously served as leading lady for director Mitchell Leisen in Hold Back the Dawn (1941) (co-lead with Olivia de Havilland), Kitty (1945), and Suddenly It's Spring (1947).
Following Ray Milland's walk-off, Paramount attempted to borrow Robert Taylor from MGM to fill the male lead role of Alfonso D'Este.