but he was intrigued with the role. He then flew out to Madrid, Spain to meet with Bronston, Yordan, and Mann who all discussed the role with him. On July 26, 1960, his casting was announced. As he conducted research into his role, Heston read El Cantar de mio Cid and arranged a meeting with historian Ramón Menéndez Pidal. Initially, Loren was unavailable to portray Ximena, and Jeanne Moreau was briefly considered as a replacement. Another account states Ava Gardner was approached for the role, but she backed out feeling Heston's part was bigger than hers. Mann then suggested his wife Sara Montiel, but Heston and Bronston refused. Ultimately, Loren became available but only for ten to twelve weeks, in which she was paid $1 million. At the time, Loren became the second actress, after Elizabeth Taylor, to earn $1 million for a film. Furthermore, Bronston also agreed to pay $200 a week for her hairdresser. Orson Welles was initially approached to play Ben Yusuf, but he insisted a double do his on-set performance while he would dub in his lines during post-production. Bronston refused. British actors were primarily sought for the other male roles, for which most of the principal casting was completed by early November 1960. That same month, on November 30, Hurd Hatfield had joined the cast. At least four actresses screen-tested for the role of Doña Urraca. Geneviève Page won the part, and her casting was announced on December 16, 1960. Filming Principal photography began November 14, 1960 at Sevilla Studios in Madrid, Spain. Filming was reported to spend at least four months of exterior shooting in Spain which would be followed by a final month of interior shooting at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. Loren's scenes were shot first as her availability was initially for twelve weeks. Shooting lasted for eight hours a day as the production employed French hours. By January 1961, her part was considerably expanded in response to the early dailies. Simultaneously, second-unit filming for the battle sequences were directed by Yakima Canutt. As filming had progressed, by December 1960, location shooting for action sequences were shot along the Guadarrama Pass. Specifically for the film's second half, Heston suggested growing a gray-flecked beard and wearing a facial scar to showcase Don Rodrigo's battle scarring within the ten-year gap. With the film's first half nearly complete, shooting for the battle of Valencia was