 Edwige Fenech (qv) came out of acting retirement to play the role  of The Professor. Eli Roth (qv), a huge fan of Fenech, met her in  Rome during his "Hostel" press tour, and asked her if shed ever  consider acting again. Fenech, now a highly successful producer and  film distributor in Italy, told Roth shed only act again for him,  so Roth wrote the part for her.