Rachel Weisz talks about her upcoming sci-fi thiller, The Fountain

Recently Movieweb had a chance to sit down with Rachel Weisz, one of the co-star's of Darren Aronofsky's highly anticipated new film, The Fountain. During our interview Weisz was enaging, focused and very enthusiastic about both The Fountain and her next film The Constant Gardner.

The Fountain is an odyssey about one man's thousand-year struggle to save the woman he loves. His epic journey begins in 16th century Spain where conquistador Tomas Creo (Hugh Jackman) commences his search for the Tree of Life, the legendary entity believed to grant eternal life to those who drink of it's sap. As a modern-day scientist Tommy Creo, he desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife Isabel (Rachel Weisz). Travelling through deep space as a 26th century astronaut, Tom Begins to grasp the mysteries of life that have consumed him for more then a century.

What was it like working with Darren Aronofsky? I've been following him since Pi, Requiem for a Dream and those aren't "regular" movies... what was that like for you?

Rachel Weisz: I'm a huge of him as well... I loved Requiem, I loved Pi. I think what's so amazing is that he's such a great actor's director. He really pushed that... he's really brave, that to me as an actor is an incredible thing aside from the fact that he's a great storyteller. He twists the narrative style. He's great visually. He's got this unique way of telling stories and he also is very good with the details.

How would you best describe The Fountain?

Rachel Weisz: It's a science fiction love story. It's a love story set through the ages, you know, that spans 2000 years. It's about love and death and the search for the Fountain of Youth.

He said that they were getting going on the film, then they had to pull back, which he said ultimately made the film better... you just came on right as things were rolling at that point?

Rachel Weisz: Yeah.

So everything was already set in terms of the story and script that juncture?

Rachel Weisz: Yeah.

You seem to bounce back and forth between bigger and smaller movies is that conscious? I mean, you did Runaway Jury, which was a big film but storywise it was a smaller film, then you did Constantine which is a very big film, then you have the Mummy movies, is that something that you choose to do?

Rachel Weisz: Not really, it just happens. You just read a script and think "I wanna tell this this story." You have to want to tell the story because you're gonna be stuck with it, the character, for 6 months. You just follow the passion.

Would you say you turn down more scripts then you recieve? I'm assuming you recieve a lot of scripts, do you read them all?

Rachel Weisz: You try to, you can't always read all of them. Sometimes your agent or your manager reads some and they say, "You know what, I know that's not the style of movie you're looking for." I try to read as much as I can.

What was it about The Fountain in particular that drew you to...

Rachel Weisz: I'd never read anything like it. It blew my mind when I read it, which is unlike any other screenplay. And the level of sophistication..., the questions it's asking, also the raw emotional drama of it.

When it gets into the space aspect of it are you in the film at that point? Is that even something you can talk about?

Rachel Weisz: Yes.

It's like what you said, you had never read anything like that before, it just seems like such a unique, interesting idea... it's spans decades, and decades... it just seems very interesting.

Rachel Wiesz: It's actually 2000 years, it spans, not decades.

Right, I meant decades that eventually lead up to 2000 years.

What's next for you?

Rachel Weisz: I've got a movie coming out in August called The Constant Gardner, by Fernando Meirelles, did you you see City of God?

Oh yeah.

Rachel Weisz: I star in that with Ralph Fiennes. It's also love story but it's a political thriller about Kenya.

What did you think of City of God?

Rachel Weisz: Rough... amazing, amazing movie.

He goes from City of God to doing a movie like The Constant Gardner, is it the same...

Rachel Weisz: Completely different style.

Really?

Rachel Weisz: Yeah.

He had a definite... you obviously saw a lot of influences, there was a lot of Scorsese in it but I loved it because of that. I just thought it was a great movie. So, do you have anything else on the horizon?

Rachel Weisz: No.

Do you try and do it that way to have one at time so you don't have like 18 million movies out?

Rachel Weisz: You change your mind. I might be a different person next year.

So you don't want all these other things...

Rachel Weisz: No.

Well, thank you very much it was a pleasure talking to you.

Rachel Weisz: Thank you so much.