Rachel Weisz recently sat down with The Sun to discuss her upcoming role in Oz: The Great And Powerful, cherishing the chance to play someone she see’s as “a really, really bad” character.
“My character is more than mean, she’s really evil,” Weisz said. “She is a pathological liar, she’s a narcissist, an egomaniac and a megalomaniac. It was a fun idea to be playing someone who is really, really bad. I can’t think of any roles that I’ve had like that before.”
Rachel Weisz plays Evanora, one of three witches in the Land of Oz. She joins the likes of James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Zach Braff in the L. Frank Baum inspired film.
“She’s really, really a bad person and she revels in being bad,” said Weisz. “She enjoys it, like the meaner she is the more pleasure she gets. It’s a Disney film, so I shouldn’t say she is ‘turned on’ by evil, but that’s what it is like.”
Directed by Sam Raimi, Oz: The Great and Powerful tells the story of how the small-time circus magician Oscar Diggs — played by James Franco — ends up becoming the infamous Wizard of Oz. He encounters much deserved scrutiny, some provided by Rachel Weisz’s wicked witch of a character. The actress admits it was surprisingly easy to get in touch with her bad side.
“I didn’t do any research at all for this film — I just tapped into my own bad girl,” she said. “I’m as bad as the next person, but that’s the thing about real life — we have to control ourselves. The fun thing about being an actor is that you get to be a kid again and children can be quite mean to each other, and that’s what it’s like being an actor. It’s like a playpen — you get to act out stuff that you are not allowed to do in real life. But I don’t think I got rid of my demons or anything. This film is just not serious, it’s fun. My demons are all still there.”
Rachel Weisz and Co. are set to hit a silver screen near you come March 8. While you’re waiting, check out the trailer and be on the lookout for even more promotional material.
