Elegant, enchanting, and stunning….
One look at Rachel Weisz and you’re drawn to her grace and beauty. She’s one of the few who have crossed that divide from being a fashion model to actress and done it well. I’ve always thought of her as a “serious actress,” one who chooses just the roles. So, why did she choose to be in a FANTASY movie?
Q: Hello.
RW : Hello. Oh, my Lord. So, we’re gonna change the world together? [LAUGHS] I feel like that.
Q : So, you were so deliciously evil.
RW : She’s bad, isn’t she?
Q: What did you like slipping into more, the costumes or the character?
RW : You know what? It’s weird They were kind of like the same the thing. When I put that costume on I became that character. I couldn’t have played her without that corset, and sequence, and feathers, and lashes, and lips, and pushed up boobs [LAUGHS], and, you know, the whole thing. Yeah, the costume was huge, huge part of the character, and it was very fun to be so nasty. [CHUCKLES]
Q : Because you were so nasty, how did you feel about, you know, knowing this is a children’s film and yet you’ve gotta be pretty badass out there.
RW : Well, I think fairytales traditionally have really, really evil characters. Like all the Grimm’s fairytales havepeople in them, so I think kids are used to evil characters. I think she’s dark, but she’s having a lot of fun being bad.
Q: What was your most memorable moment while filming?
RW : Um, well, Evanora really enjoyed torturing Glinda, when she was chained in the Emerald City, and I do, too. It was just really fun. I mean I get along brilliantly. Michelle she’s a fellow mom, and a lovely lady, but that was just a really fun scene, being that bad. And then just pure fun without being evil was flying. Flying is really fun, kinda — a little scary and quite exciting, like having a really good rollercoaster ride.
Q : Speaking of flying, how much flying and stunt work did you actually do by yourself?
RW : All of it.
I didn’t think there was any flying that isn’t me. They didn’t do a head replacement or anything. It’s me all the way. [LAUGHS]
Q: What helped you prepare the most for your role in the film?
RW : There was nothing that could help me prepare. Obviously, there’s no witches I could interview or talk to, it’s just pure fantasy. So, the costume, as I said, was a huge part of finding the character, and it’s just, just pure make believe.
Q : Did you feel nervous at all accepting this role because of the Oz legacy?
RW : I’m nervous at any role that I do [CHUCKLES], because there’s the fear that you might, you know, suck. I wouldn’t really do a role unless I wasn’t nervous about it, because that’s what’s exciting is trying something new, and I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve never played a fantasy character. You know, of late I’ve been doing very kind of gritty, earth-bound gals with no makeup.
Q : What was your reaction to the film the first time you read the script?
RW : I loved it. I loved it. I didn’t know that Frank L. Baum had wrote ten books, and the Wizard of Oz film is just one-tenth of the whole cycle of stories, and I loved it. You know,we all know the Wizard of Oz so well, and this is the story of how the Wizard came to be the Wizard. So, I loved it, and I loved the character of Evanora, and I loved how, how mercilessly horrible she is [LAUGHS].
Q : What was your favorite part of making the movie?
RW : I guess flying in terms of just sheer, silly fun. You know, it was just really fun being hoisted up really high on a wire like we’re on a zip line in sequence.
Q : What’s your personal relationship with Oz? I mean did you watch it as a kid? Did your kid watch it? You know, personally?
RW : I remember going to the cinema to see it when I was about five, and I, and I vividly remember the seat in front of me, and trying to see over and hiding. I mean witches really terrified me. They, they seared into my mind as properly terrifying. I think children’s fairytales, like Grimm’s fairytales are really, really dark.
I think it’s to teach children about good and evil and morality, and I think there’s a reason why there’s been for hundreds of year. I think they’re kind of like important, archetypal stories, but, I do remember vividly seeing it. It’s one of those movies you never, forget.
Q :Which, which other character did you enjoy watching on the screen or in the script?
RW : It’s really hard for me to pick. I thought Theodora was just delicious, and the Wizard is great. I guess the most surprising for me was the China Girl and the Monkey, because I never got to work with them and they’re really delightful characters
Q : How was working with the rest of the cast?
RW : Really great. I mean I did most of my scenes with Mila, my sister, anda few scenes with James, and then a few scenes with Glinda, and then, of course, with my army of monkeys, and that was really fun, the army of monkeys. I really got scream orders at them. They’re like my soldiers. It was really fun with all of them.
Oz The Great and Powerful opens on March 8, 2013.
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This post was facilitated as a result of a press junket. All opinions are strictly my own.
Carol Langstaff says
“I didn’t know that Frank L. Baum had wrote [sic] ten books, . . . ”
FYI: When egregious grammatical errors occur (see above), it is the obligation of the author to show that he/she knows the difference between correct and incorrect usage. This is how that is accomplished!! You’re welcome.