november / december 2006:

Kibbitz Cover Girl: Rachel Weisz

By Bradford R. Pilcher



There is something uncanny about this woman. we think it might be unfair, actually. It’s not enough that she’s a beautiful and talented actress. It’s not even enough that she’s Jewish, making her the latest star in our celebrity Jewess fantasy. No, Rachel Weisz had to go and be British too. We’re Americans. You can’t be hot, talented, Jewish, and then toss a sexy British accent at us. It overwhelms our capacity for self-control.

We’re not complaining, you understand. We’re just saying that we’re at a disadvantage. We cannot be our usual suave selves. What do the Brits say? She makes us a little bit wankered.

And we’re certain she’ll make you just as slaphappy this November when her long-awaited (and nearly-shelved) new film debuts. In The Fountain, Weisz plays Izzi, or rather she plays Queen Isabel of Spain in the 16th century, and Izzi in the present. She’s paired onscreen with Hugh Jackman who also portrays multiple characters in three different centuries, which is to say that this film has a plot that may be a bit hard to follow.

We’re not concerned. First of all, it stars Rachel Weisz. Second, it’s directed by Darren Aronofsky, who we’d prefer not have married Weisz but who we can’t dispute is a very talented guy (see earlier films Pi and Requiem for a Dream). Third, did we mention Weisz?

It’s hard to say when, exactly, we fell in love with her. We were definitely smitten at her portrayal of a naive archaeologist adventurer in The Mummy, but it was probably her turn as con artist Lily in Confidence that charmed us to the point of Pavlovian mouth-frothing. When Weisz won the Oscar for The Constant Gardener, we cheered as if it were our home team winning the Super Bowl.

But she’s British, so perhaps we should’ve cheered like it was the rugby team taking the victory, or perhaps the English team capturing the World Cup. Rachel, do you see how flustered you’ve left us?


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