Olivia de Havilland absolutely hated her role in the film. She had not wanted to star in it in the first place, but was forced to due to an arrangement - intended to punish her after she protested against working conditions on Princess O'Rourke (1943) - in which Warner Bros. loaned her services to David O. Selznick, who turned her over to RKO. Her distaste for the arrangement is evident in the wide variety of grimaces, smirks and other expressions she used in an attempt to avoid creating a character of any depth or credibility.
Warner Bros. studio boss Jack L. Warner loaned Olivia de Havilland to David O. Selznick in exchange for Ingrid Bergman whom Warner cast opposite Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942).
Joseph Cotten was originally considered to play Ed Browne, but was ultimately replaced by Sonny Tufts.