Messalina, I think. I'm not sure Von Sternberg, or anyone, was *consciously* aware of her background at the time - she constantly obscured it with different versions - but I'm sure everyone thought "ooh, interesting face." (Apparently she was also scarred in the car accident that kept them from finishing the movie, and for the rest of her career they used makeup and lighting to hide it, which probably added to the ambiguity.)