Rachel Weisz joins the Cut By Terrence Malick Club.
Were you excited about the prospect of seeing Rachel Weisz in a Terrence Malick movie? Did you think it was about time Barry Pepper was in such a prestigious project? Have you been wondering when you would see Amanda Peet again? Can you never get enough Michael Sheen?
If you were looking forward to Malick’s “To the Wonder” because of these questions, well, then you’re going to be disappointed. Deadline reports that Malick’s film, which will be seen at the Venice International Film Festival, will be missing those actors. They filmed roles, but have been left on the cutting room floor.
This is par for the course for Malick, who’s known to shoot tons of film, then trim it down until actors find themselves either reduced to a tiny scene or out completely. The good news is that actors are aware of his rep but still go along anyway just to work with the legendary director; Weisz has apparently said that she thought her part would get cut but just wanted the Malick experience. A source says, ““It’s just the way Terry works; it’s not a reflection on anything other than the story.”
All these actors had only small supporting roles; the film really focuses on characters played by Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurylenko, and Javier Bardem. And by the way, the film is being described as “more ‘Badlands’ than ‘Tree of Life.’” That’s fine with me. Nothing against “Tree of Life,” but I love “Badlands.”
Well, we’ll see what the reaction from the festival circuit is like. Hopefully no one says, “This movie could use a little Rachel Weisz.”
