 Willeke van Ammelrooy (qv) was the first choice for the role of  Olga. Jan Wolkers (qv), who wrote the novel this film is based on,  thought shed be perfect for the part. However, director  Paul Verhoeven (I) (qv) demanded shed shave her head for the  hospital scene. This would mean van Ammelrooy had to decline other  job offers. Besides that, producer Rob Houwer (qv) didnt want to  pay the 50,000 guilders van Ammelrooy asked. He was only willing to  pay 19,000 guilders.