At their very first meeting in New York, Babenco was convinced Hurt was wrong for the part: “This man, too American for my Latin American eyes, a Montana boy could never play this man I love.”

The actor was actually from Washington, DC, and had trained at the prestigious Juilliard.

However, something magical happened during the first read-through of the script and Babenco saw Hurt transformed “like a wounded bird,” and was brought to tears.  

So, when Banco saw his leading man struggling on set he told him to imagine he was someone with the body of a boxer who desperately wanted to be a graceful dancer. Once he understood that internal conflict and contradiction they would then work on the exterior looks.