Sources: Warner Bros / WENNActress Maggie Gyllenhaal almost rejected her role in upcoming film The Dark Knight - until she was assured her casting was approved by Batman predecessor Katie Holmes.
Gyllenhaal - who plays the superhero's love interest Rachel Dawes - stepped in after Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role in 2005 film in Batman Begins.
The actress admits she was hesitant to accept the part until she knew she would have the freedom to create a new character for the role with Holmes' blessing.
She says, "I wanted to be sure, first of all, that I had her blessing. And I was assured that I did. I'm a big fan of hers, I think she was really great in the first movie.
"And yet I felt like it wouldn't have done anyone any good if I tried to imitate her. Really what I decided was that it had to be a whole new woman. If I'm going to do what I do well, I have to be free to do it."
Gyllenhaal notes, "Rachel made the heartbreaking decision that it is impossible for her to be with Bruce as long as he is Batman. Then Harvey Dent came into her life, and she is crazy about him. I think the thing she really admires about Harvey, as opposed to Batman--or, rather, what Bruce Wayne is doing as Batman--is that Harvey is not a vigilante. He is not putting himself above the law for what he believes is ultimately best for the people of Gotham City. Instead, Harvey believes in the system, even if it's broken, and he is going to work within the system to change things that are corrupt. I think that's why Rachel loves him and thinks he is a hero in his own way. At the same time, she still genuinely loves Bruce and she obviously knows he is still in love with her, so it's a real predicament.
"But for me, I mean it's Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart and they are both pretty spectacular, so as an actress, it was easy to live with that predicament," Gyllenhaal laughs. "My wanting to be a part of this film had almost everything to do with Chris Nolan and the rest of the cast. From the beginning, Chris was so engaging and so interested in my ideas about the role. He was clear that he wanted Rachel to be smart and capable and not the damsel in distress, although she is in distress sometimes. We were really good for each other because that's very much what I wanted, and we pushed each other in different ways to make Rachel who she is."
"Maggie is just a fantastic actress," states Nolan. "I've always loved her work and had wanted an opportunity to work with her, and the role of Rachel in this film seemed like the perfect match. Maggie has great intelligence and maturity and she is also very warm and, of course, lovely. You really believe her in this role. I think she beautifully conveyed the conflict in Rachel standing between these two men in her life, and you can see why both men would naturally be drawn to her. Rachel has so much history with Bruce and he will always be in her heart, but she also loves Harvey and can see a future with him."
However, that all changes in an instant when a shocking incident transforms the once redoubtable Harvey Dent into the horribly deformed Two-Face, who is now bent on one thing: revenge.
No comments:
Post a Comment