DVD.IGN.com - January 10, 2006

Interview: Rachel Weisz

by Todd Gilchrist

The Constant-ly consistent actress discusses her new DVD.

Little more than a decade ago, Rachel Weisz was just one of the countless struggling starlets trying to establish herself in Hollywood. Since then, she’s starred with a veritable cross-section of A-list leading men (Keanu Reeves, Brendan Fraser, Jude Law and John Cusack to new but four), proved her talent and established herself as one of the industry’s more reliable, desirable and versatile actresses.

That said, Weisz herself isn’t above a bit of the fan-worship that has emerged around her as a result of her eclectic filmography; she still thrills at the prospect of collaborating with an emerging talent or proven auteur. So when the opportunity arose to work with director Fernando Meirelles, who previously helmed the Brazilian crime epic City of God, she leapt at the chance. The Constant Gardener, their collaboration, was released in theaters during the fall of 2005, and arrives on DVD with both widespread critical acclaim and modest commercial success, netting Weisz a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. On the eve of the film’s DVD release, she spoke to IGN DVD about that honor, the thrill of working with Meirelles, and the film’s power not only as a piece of entertainment but education as well.

IGN DVD: The film is really amazing. How did you first get involved in it?

Rachel Weisz: Well, I was in L.A. working at the time, and when the script came to me I knew that Fernando [Meirelles] was directing it. I’d seen City of God so I was very excited about it, reading something which he was going to direct. [But] when I read the script, I don’t think I’ve ever responded to a script so strongly before. Gosh, it’s such an incredible character - she’s very unusual, very complex, [I] get to play lots of different things, very un-cliched, and the love story is very beautiful. There’s also the fact that the story is so important - I think it’s such an important story; it’s about such big, important things that are happening in contemporary politics. It blew me away, so I really went after it, or as people say campaigned - I never like that word, it sounds militaristic (laughs).

I had a day off and I flew to London because Fernando had come to London to meet British actresses; he didn’t know any British actresses, and he didn’t know who I or anybody was, and I met him first. He met me and we got on very well - he was very passionate about it - and he went on to meet lots and lots and lots of other people because he didn’t know which way he wanted to go. So I went back to L.A. and was working and I wrote him a letter and I was just very vocal and passionate about wanting to do it - I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to do a part as much.

IGN: This character shares qualities with some of your previous roles in that she might be viewed as unlikable. Do you consciously pursue roles like this time and again as a personal challenge?

Rachel Weisz: Well, I mean, it’s a personal thing if you think she’s unlikable. You’re deliberately manipulated into thinking that she is one thing, or two or three things, and it turns out she’s not. She’s neither unfaithful nor, well, I can’t remember all of the bad things she’s meant to be, but none of them turn out to be true. So it was a fascinating journey that the audience is manipulated into thinking she’s one thing and then find that she’s something else - she’s very interesting.

IGN: The movie does a great job rendering her in multiple dimensions. Was that already there when you read the script, or did you have to develop her yourself?

Rachel Weisz: It was a great script on the page, but it always takes lots of research and preparation and thought, you know, it takes weeks to get ready to play a role. It takes a long time to get into character, I would say.

IGN: In recent years you’ve juxtaposed smaller, personal films with bigger ones. Do you differentiate between them in terms of developing a character for something like The Constant Gardener and Constantine, or is it the same process?

Rachel Weisz: it’s just kind of getting into different parts of one’s personality. Like part of me just likes to be very physical and run around do stunts and fly through the air and jump off of things and do really dangerous physical things. I love doing that and it’s very fun, but another part of me I guess is more serious, so it’s just getting to express different aspects of yourself.

IGN: Working with a director like Fernando, whose style seems to be very fluid and improvisational, is that a sort of liberating influence or does it provide greater challenges?

Rachel Weisz: I love it. I love improvising. It’s my favorite thing. Ralph loved it as much as me, so when we had our scenes together, we were just improvising like crazy.

IGN: You mentioned you actively pursued Fernando, but do you regularly go after roles because of the other collaborators involved or do you mostly make choices based on the scripts themselves?

Rachel Weisz: Film is a director’s medium and I think it’s all about the director, so I definitely try and seek out the directors [I respect].

IGN: Have you previously participated in a lot of DVD-related material, such as commentaries, etc.? I know this film isn’t accompanied by a commentary track.

Rachel Weisz: I guess it was a choice of Fernando’s, but nobody mentioned it to me.

IGN: Are you eager or reluctant to participate in commentaries or other DVD bonus materials?

Rachel Weisz: I don’t mind doing a commentary, because it doesn’t mean I’m going to give everything away (laughs). I mean, you can still talk. So yeah, why not?

IGN: This movie was released at a time when a number of political films sort of reclaimed the medium’s ability to explore real issues. Were you discussing the issues explored in Constant Gardener while you were shooting, or were you just focused on making the movie itself?

Rachel Weisz: Well, in research, we watched documentaries which were about the injustices happening in Africa with drug companies testing drugs on children, so we got lots of research so we got very informed. But no, we didn’t sit around having big political discussions in the evening; we kind of liked to relax after work.

IGN: Does working on a movie like this inspire you to participate more to resolve or shed light on problems in the real world?

Rachel Weisz: Definitely, yeah. The whole crew and all of the cast were profoundly affected by the poverty and the beauty of the spirit of the people we met in Africa, and we started a charity in the name of the film. It’s called The Constant Gardener Charitable Trust, and we’re committed to it at least a minimum of five years. We’ve already built a school in the slum of Cabiria, a bridge and shower facilities and fresh water tanks, and we’re in the process of building a secondary school - well, it’s actually already up - in the north, in a very remote area where there are no secondary schools. We’re going to keep raising money to build another classroom, so hopefully we’ll get five different classrooms so the [students] can keep moving up throughout the five classrooms.

IGN: Do you feel like the making itself of a movie like this can truly inform and teach and inspire people?

Rachel Weisz: I don’t really know the answer to that. What we’re doing with the charity is quite small and focused; we’re not changing the world, we’re just helping the community we filmed in. I think this film is very thought-provoking, but it’s up to the public. I don’t know. I don’t feel like it’s a preaching film. But I hope so - I hope film can make a difference.

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