Peter Graves, known mostly for playing dramatic leading man, paternal, and authority type roles, initially dismissed the script as "disgusting crap", according to Abrahams. However, his agent, characterizing the ZAZ team as the next hot thing in Hollywood, convinced him to meet with them so they could discuss and explain the film. By the end of the meeting Graves had switched his tone once he understood that he would really be playing a spoof of himself and nothing about the absurdist comedy was to be taken seriously. However, he was still not comfortable with the pedophile undertones and withheld his commitment to the project. His family and friends who had read the script and thought the role was hilarious eventually convinced him to accept the part.