Rachel Weisz is as beautiful as she is evil playing Evanora one of the naughty witches of OZ. She sat down with us after the Premiere of Oz The Great and Powerful to chat about being evil and working with Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and James Franco.
Her first question was about her costume, did she like wearing her costume or playing an evil character more?
You know what? It’s weird.They were 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. The costume was a huge, huge part of the character, and it was very fun to be so nasty.
As she laughed we all laughed along with her. I could imagine it being fun to play a nasty character. She also described her badness as not being really bad. I mean she was having so much fun and you tell she was having fun, she was “Disney” bad which really helps in keeping the movie a family film.
The next question involved her most memorable moment while filming?
Evanora really enjoyed torturing, Glenda, when she was chained in the Emerald City, but, um, and I do, too. It was just really fun. I mean I get along brilliantly. Michelle she’s fellow mom, and, she’s 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, a little scary and quite exciting, like having a, having a really good rollercoaster ride.
And she did all her own stunts. Here’s another reason I wish I was an actress, I love costumes and rollercoaster rides.
She was asked how she prepared for the film?
Really there was nothing that could help me prepare. Obviously, there’s no witches I could interview or talk to, and, uh 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 belief. There was absolutely no research, just make belief, just like being a kid basically.
She was also asked if she was nervous taking on such a classic film?
I’m nervous at any role that I do; there’s the fear that you might, you know, suck. So [LAUGHS], so, and 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. I’ve been doing very kind of gritty, earth-bounds, you know, gals with no makeup, and very different kinds of things. So, for me it was scary, ’cause it’s a new, uh, new thing.
And I asked her how she liked working with the rest of the cast?
Really great. I mean I did most of my scenes with Mila, my sister, and, a few scenes with James, and then a few scenes with Glenda, and it was real. Of course, with my monkeys, with my, with my army, with my army of monkeys, that was really fun, the army of monkeys. I really got scream orders at them. It was really fun. It was really fun with all of them.
Which witch is Evanora, find out when Oz the Great and Powerful joins us in theaters March 8th.