The twice-Oscar-nominated actress assured in a long interview with Deadline that she had wanted to work with Ruizpalacios for a long time. The director sent her the script of “La cocina” along with a mood board (a set of content outlining the mood and tone of the film) and a letter. “I receive a lot of such things and many of them are bad. You feel that it is a template and you are the third person to receive it. Meanwhile, the letter from Alonso was poetic and personal,” she recalled. Mara.
The actress also revealed that the atmosphere on the set is one of the deciding factors when choosing roles. “I had a few bad experiences early in my career. When I worked with David Fincher, I realized that the director is the most important. I have to follow him,” she said. “It’s about the experience on set. In every production, even with the best directors, there is a risk that the film will not be good and the audience will not like it. So I don’t worry about it.”
Mara and her partner Joaquin Phoenix were supposed to appear in “The Island”, Paweł Pawlikowski’s latest film. According to plans, filming was to take place last summer and the premiere would take place in 2024. However, in May, information appeared that the start of production was suspended at the last minute due to the upcoming actors’ strike. Since then, little is known about the project.
“Me, Joaquin and Paweł are still hoping we can shoot it,” Mara said. “We just don’t know when. It doesn’t seem to be this year. Nevertheless, we are all involved in this project.”
The actress was also asked about the biography of Audrey Hepburn, which Luca Guadagnino was to produce for the Apple platform. However, the director recently announced that he is no longer associated with the film. “This production is not dead yet,” Mara assured. “Luca won’t direct it, but she’s alive. I can’t say anything more.”
The 74th Berlin International Film Festival takes place from February 15 to 25, 2024.