Robin Wright

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Wright on Redford and Congo conflict

Robin Wright has praised Robert Redford’s abilities as a director.

The actress, who stars in the Hollywood legend’s new film "The Conspirator", told Austrian magazine Live: "He’s not the kind of director who says a few adjectives before the shooting of a scene to describe how he wants it to be. He sits down with you to talk the whole story through – and I appreciate that. I think this shows that he knows what he is talking about."

The cast of "The Conspirator" – which portrays Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the United States’ government – also features "The Last King of Scotland" star James McAvoy, Justin Long ("Jeepers Creepers") and Evan Rachel Wood ("The Wrestler").

Speaking about how Redford got in touch with her about starring as Surratt, Wright said: "He didn’t say anything about that I was supposed to take a leading role. He rang me, asking whether I could come over for five minutes. ‘I’d like to sell a story to you,’ he said."

The ex-wife of Sean Penn ("Dead Man Walking", "Mystic River") added: "He didn’t even hand me a script. I signed the contract without reading it."

Wright, 45, revealed she "would not become an actress again nowadays." The "Forest Gump" star told Live: "That kind of today’s paparazzi hysteria, this permanent penetration into people’s private lives did not exist when I started. (…) I don’t like being in the centre of attention. Red carpets and photoflash are a real pain for me."

Asked why she got engaged in a humanitarian project, Wright explained: "I could not go on doing nothing against the violence against women in Congo. I asked myself what I could do and found that shooting a documentary was an option."

Austrian Times

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"The Princess Bride" Reunion after 24 years on "Good Morning America"

Part 2

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Robin Wright - ELLE's 18th Annual Women in Hollywood Tribute (Oct. 17), 2011

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More photos of Robin Wright at the ELLE Women in Hollywood Tribute:

laineygossip.com

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2011 Doha Tribeca Film Festival - Day 1

Actress Robin Wright attends photocall at the Press Centre during day 1 of the 2011 Doha Tribeca Film Festival on October 25, 2011 in Doha, Qatar.

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Wright stuff

After turning down 40 offers in the past 15 years to focus on her family, the ‘Forrest Gump' actress is now part of the jury for the Doha Tribeca Film Festival and is filming a controversial movie.

One should never underestimate the power of Google. Thanks to the magical powers of the global search engine, A-lister Robin Wright was able to delve into the unknown and agree to try something new on for size.

"I hadn't heard of it to be honest," said the Forrest Gump actress of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF). "I was invited and then I jumped on Google," she added, laughing at my surprise.

"You can learn a lot on the internet."

Google led Wright to the home page of DTFF where the American says she knew she would accept the Doha Film Institute's offer of a position on the competition jury. "I read a quote about the DFI's founding idea. It read, ‘film has the power to change lives' and I thought, yes it does. To be here, in the Arab countries that are going through this socio-economic strife, yet they still want to bring these local, regional and international filmmakers together to expand, is wonderful. They want to show us, educate us. It's an evolved way of thinking and it's the future."

Wearing little or no make-up, Wright, 45, is honest and upfront.

Having risen to fame on the television series Santa Barbara, which earned her three Daytime Emmy nominations, she went on to star in films including The Princess Bride, Toys, Message in a Bottle, Unbreakable, White Oleander, The Conspirator and, of course, as Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump, which earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Family first

Having said that, Wright has also turned down more than 40 roles in the past 15 years.

"I was raising children," she said. "Somebody had to do it. Now they're in college and I have more time on my hands to do things like this." That choice has meant a few regrets, her biggest being the lead role in Anthony Minghella's The English Patient. "I really missed out on that one."

In July last year Wright dropped "Penn" from her previously double-barrelled surname, having married Hollywood actor Sean Penn in 1996. Their daughter Dylan Frances Penn was born in 1991 and son Hopper Jack Penn two years later.

Their turbulent relationship well documented in the media, Wright appears jaded by the experience. "I am a strong woman?" she considered, repeating the question out loud. "Oh it's a nice façade." She seems tired. Of what, it's unclear, but tired nonetheless.

"I admire honesty of self. I think we have a tendency to edit because it's such a man's world and we constantly question how we may be perceived. You know what, throw caution to the wind because we already get paid less, we already get treated less to a certain degree. So we might as well be honest with ourselves and see if the spaghetti sticks on the wall."

The kids off at college, the offers have flooded in for Wright but, humble to an extreme, she believes fate has played a part. "I think it's luck... at this stage to revamp your career, because you know I raised kids and sort of stepped away from the mainstream for 15 years. By choice, but to be able to get back on the assembly line with quality stuff, that's lucky. My angels were listening."

Next up for Wright is a controversial Australia-set film based on a short story by Doris Lessing.

"It's very perverse but very believable," she said. "Two women, Naomi Watts and I, grow up together best friends, inseparable. We both have children at the same time, both have boys. When the boys are 18 they fall in love with each of us. Her son with me and my son with her. It's a true genuine authentic love affair with each of the sons. Let's just say it was different to film."

http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/fil...-stuff-1.920014

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2011 Doha Tribeca Film Festival - Day 5

Actress Robin Wright attends day 5 of the 2011 Doha Tribeca Film Festival on October 29, 2011 in Doha, Qatar.

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AFI FEST 2011 Presented By Audi - "Rampart" Special Screening

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"Rampart" AFI Reception

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Robin Wright at RAMPART Gala Screening AFI FEST 2011

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Moves 2011 Power Women Awards

Robin Wright attends the Moves 2011 Power Women Awards at Riverpark on November 9, 2011 in New York City.

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ROBIN WRIGHT: “WE’RE ALWAYS COMPROMISING”

Ms. Wright, your kids have recently left the nest. Does it scare you to be so free again?

No. I’m so close with my kids, but it’s funny, they leave and now they already want to come back. Wait, it’s only been three months!

How does it feel? Like being 21 again?

Yeah! It’s great. You just have time. I don’t have to carpool to soccer practice anymore. (Laughs) Literally!

What are your kids up to now?

My daughter is in New York working, going to school. My son graduated high school and went to Haiti to work for his dad’s organization and then extended his stay. It’s incredible what he’s doing.

It must be a bit hard for you as a mother though.

Yeah, but it’s in his blood. Sean was born with that need to help. And it’s so beautiful to see what his organization has done. They moved in offering emergency aid relief and set up camp, but where Médecins Sans Frontières, Red Cross, or UNICEF come in and then they bail, Sean stayed and hired the Haitians. Educated doctors, logisticians, all the nurses, teachers for the children – taught all the natives – and now 98% of his organization is run by Haitians.

Were there ever times when you felt like Sean was putting himself in danger? He even went to Iran when nobody dared to go there…

That one was scary. I remember that. I didn’t feel it in Baghdad when he went there, but when he went to Iran I really said goodbye to him. I said, “Just in case, I’m really saying goodbye.” Because there was no contact when he was there. Yeah, that was hairy.

But you are an active humanitarian as well, no?

If I can use my celebrity status to raise awareness, of course I will. We should all be doing it, every single one of us. It’s just never been in my nature to go out there and go on a red carpet to say, “Oh, publicize me!” It’s one thing to go out and support a movie and yes, you have to stay in the game to a certain degree and do that kind of stuff, but you have passions in life. To be passionate about being on a red carpet saying, “Look at me and look at my dress!” I’m not interested in that.

But your career might have benefited from it…

I don’t have those kinds of regrets. I did what I wanted to do. I have zero desire – never had and never will have – for the public to know who I am. They are going to perceive who you are anyway. They do it anyway, they make up who you are anyway, so let them go. There’s almost something masturbatory about it. It’s like, “You go masturbate, but I don’t want to see it!” (Laughs) No, I wanted to raise my kids, I wanted to be in a family, I wanted to not be on the cover of People Magazine like Brad and Angelina – I definitely didn’t want that.

I guess that makes you the exception.

It’s very sad. Sad because it’s almost like we’re losing the element of artistry. I think that art is so in the background, behind the veil. It hasn’t died, but it’s a rarity. It’s the minority. That’s what’s sad to me. Stars and fame and all that have become the majority.

Do you think this infatuation with stardom will ever collapse and return to a normal level?

No, of course not. The industry couldn’t survive on its own. You have that artistic minority and then you’ve got the majority and the majority tends to win; it’s able to sustain itself longer, I think, with just the bad movies.

What does that mean when looking for good roles?

Sometimes you have to do one for the money to pay the bills, but you don’t have to just go full on commercial and full on outside of yourself – you don’t have to be a full on liar. But partial fakery is sometimes a necessity in life. You’ve got to feed your kids, you want to be happy, you want to travel. We’re always compromising to a certain degree: Is it wise to do it for the money here, in this particular role, for this amount of time? Is it something I want to be affiliated with? Who else is in it?

Does it help if a friend is attached to the project?

Yes, but sometimes that can make it more difficult. For example, I recently did a movie with Woody Harrelson. I’ve known Woodrow for almost 15 years. We’ve been buddies and we’re from the same neck of the woods in the South so we always had that connection, but being like brother and sister was hard for the role.

Why?

When we first met for the film I said, “Wood, I really want to do this part, but you’re my brother and we have to… fuck in the movie. And I just can’t do it.” And he goes, (with a thick Southern accent) “Well, Robbie, you’re my hot sister. So I think we can make it work.” I said, “No, I can’t do it!” We had to get really, really drunk – really drunk – before we did it.

How long did it take to get it right?

We banged it out in two takes.

How long did it take to get drunk?

15 minutes.

Tequila?

Well, he drinks this double-double organic wine, you know, vegan. I think I was pounding tequila on that one. That was rough.

http://the-talks.com/interviews/robin-wright/

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Robin Wright Thankful For Movie Return

Robin Wright admits she is happy to finally be back doing mainstream films because of her role in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'.

Robin Wright is "happy to be back" in mainstream films.

The 45-year-old star - who has previously starred in 'Forrest Gump' and 'The Princess Bride' - has returned to her first big screen role in some years as media mogul Erika in the eagerly anticipated 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', and she admits it took work from her "team" to help get her back into that position.

She said: "I was doing some great independent pieces, but I wasn't in the game and you've got to play it. Over the past couple of years my team pumped the machine and got me back on the assembly line and I'm so happy to be back. Yes, you have to go out there and publicise yourself again and create yourself again, but that's the game."

She is particularly pleased to be make her comeback with the movie - which also stars Daniel Craig and Noomi Rapace - as she relates so well to her character.

She said: "I feel so many of the parts I get offered, or that are written for women, are just the subordinate other half. But someone like Erika in 'Dragon Tattoo' is independent, individual, a 21st century woman. I have a slight Swedish accent in the film, but apart from that I'm basically playing me."

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Robin Wright, Naomi Watts Sign on for 'The Grandmothers'

SYDNEY -- Naomi Watts and Robin Wright are to headline French director Anne Fontaine’s (Coco Avant Chanel) next feature, The Grandmothers, which has been greenlit for investment funding by Screen Australia, the agency said Monday.

The erotic tale of misguided love and a celebration of the enduring nature of female friendship, The Grandmothers tells the story of two lifelong friends who fall in love with each other’s teenage sons. Based on Australian Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing’s novel, it has been adapted for the screen by Oscar winner Christopher Hampton.

Xavier Samuel and James Frecheville will star alongside Watts and Wright.

The Grandmothers is being set as an official Australian-French co-production, with Hopscotch Features, Ciné-@, Mon Voisin Productions, Gaumont and France 2 Cinéma producing.

Producers are Andrew Mason, Philippe Carcassonne, Michel Feller, Dominique Besnehard and Francis Boespflug.

Gaumont will handle international sales while Hopscotch EOne is the Australian distributor.

hollywoodreporter

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Robin Wright - A Hollywood survivor is having the time of her life

After getting over her divorce from Sean Penn, Robin Wright has never been busier. She talks to James Mottram about acting with Daniel Craig in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Robin Wright enters the room, dressed in skinny black trousers, a white blouse and a single-breasted jacket. With her blonde hair swept to the side, hers is an effortless, understated glamour, showing no outward signs of the transitional phase her life has entered over the past year. Since her divorce to Sean Penn was finalised in July 2010, after several splits and reunions, Wright has remained deliberately low-key. While Penn stepped out with Scarlett Johansson, her highest profile romance was with Greg Shapiro, producer of The Hurt Locker, which ended after a year.

As she told one interviewer, "I think I've always been waiting for things to happen. Now I'm like, 'I'm okay – I know the direction, whoever's on board can go with me." It can't be easy. Her and Penn's union was one of Hollywood's more enduring relationships. Together since 1990, when they starred in State of Grace, they married in 1996 and produced two children, daughter Dylan Frances, now 20, and son Hopper Jack. Yet she clearly got her due. "I had just got taken for one half of everything I had in the divorce," Penn said recently, "so it's not like I don't have to work."

Still, if her work is anything to go by, Wright's enjoying a new lease of life. Already this year, she has been seen in Robert Redford's The Conspirator (also produced by Shapiro). Now, after a cameo appearance as Brad Pitt's ex-wife in the critically-lauded baseball film Moneyball, she's coming up in two of the most anticipated films of the season, David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Oren Moverman's Rampart. "This is like Christmas!" she smiles. "A lot of nice gifts."

Adapted from the first book in Steig Larsson's best-selling crime trilogy, Dragon Tattoo needs little introduction. Already a hit movie in its native Sweden, Fincher's Hollywood remake looks set to bring this tale of Goth lesbian hacker Lisbeth Salander and investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist to an even wider audience. Wright, who was one of the first to be cast, plays Erika Berger, the no-nonsense owner of the magazine Millennium, where Blomkvist works. Played in the original by Lena Endre, Wright is ideal casting as the hard-shelled boss and sometime lover to her star reporter.

She's certainly done her homework, seeing the original film and reading the book. "That old Steig was drinking some espresso!" she exclaims. "Wow! He has so many layers." When we meet, she's just seen Fincher's version and is full of praise for her cast members – the "affable, adaptable" Daniel Craig, who plays Blomkvist, and newcomer Rooney Mara, who made a brief appearance in Fincher's Facebook movie The Social Network, before landing the plum role of Lisbeth Salander. "She's a great little actress. She's going to skyrocket."

She reserves most of her praise for Fincher (with whom she looks set to reunite on his next project, a TV reworking on the British political thriller House of Cards). "Fincher was very loyal to the book but I think his talent is where he chooses to show you, the audience, intensity without too much exposition. So it's almost like an aria when you watch it. The Swedish film was staccato – every single scene that was in the book, and every single character, you got little flashes to get all the information. And his aria is... he's a master at filmmaking for that reason. He knows where to pump up the volume and where to subside, and let you imagine. You wonder at a lot of the movie... you're not quite clear where it's going."

Rampart is no less intense than Dragon Tattoo. Set in Los Angeles in the late 1990s, its title refers to the Rampart scandal, where widespread corruption was uncovered in the LAPD's anti-gang unit – not least three officers found on the payroll of hip hop mogul Marion "Suge" Knight. "Being from Los Angeles, we heard about it," says Wright. "It was on the news. It was the OJ times, and Rampart – a beautiful time to live in Los Angeles! The riots! The 'city of corrupt' is what we used to call it."

Neither was she immune: in the mid 1990s, she was robbed of her car at gunpoint in Santa Monica, causing her and Penn to move out of Los Angeles, to San Anselmo, 20km north of San Francisco.

Scripted by James Ellroy, the film sees Woody Harrelson play Dave Brown, a disturbed, trigger-happy cop who is caught on video beating a luckless driver who accidentally rams his car. It's Harrelson's film, a fierce, unflinching Oscar-nominated turn if ever there was one. Wright plays defence lawyer, Linda Fentress, one of several women in Brown's chaotic orbit. Having known Harrelson for 17 years, playing his lover didn't come easy. "We're like brother and sister. So it was like incest!" she cries. "We talked... [i said] 'I can't do love scenes with you, Woody!' He's like [adopts a credible Harrelson-like twang], 'Well, you know, I guess it's like you're going to have to be my hot sister!'"

Since completing Rampart, she's been to Germany to film Waltz With Bashir director Ari Folman's new film The Congress – a mix of live action and animation – though she's something of an Anglophile, if truth be told. Her stepfather was from Cheshire – "Wilmslow to be exact" – which may explain why Wright frequently breaks into an English accent in her answers. "I had to perfect it because if not I would be basically whipped! He would correct us all the time." Turns out, he's even influenced her choice of football team. "I'm Man United," she beams. "My Dad was a Stretford End regular. Eric Cantona – he was amazing."

Wright had her own stint in Europe, during her modelling days, before she returned to the States to start acting – first in commercials and then in daytime soap Santa Barbara. Later came cult movies (The Princess Bride), enormous hits (Forrest Gump), and forgettable fare (How To Kill Your Neighbour's Dog). "I've been told I've done a lot of flop movies. And I think, 'Wow, I've never considered them flops!' I've loved every character I played. They bring up [barry Levinson's 1992 comedy] Toys. I had such a blast playing that girl. Got to create her on my own. That's what it's about. Make it fun and fulfilling, for yourself if nobody else."

Ironically, The Congress sees Wright play an actress whose career has waned after the studios have endlessly re-used her image. In reality, partly because she never really let the studios do just that, she's survived into her forties (she's now 45) – difficult when the options of "what's available to you, given your age and lack of Botox" become less and less. It's not hard to sense that she feels on borrowed time. "You go 'OK! We've only got a couple more years' – which is a reality in Hollyweird."

Even so, Wright feels that things have changed since her days as an aspiring soap star on Santa Barbara. "I feel like we're almost programming audiences to this," she says, stretching her cheeks back into a smile, "and they're getting used to it. So maybe the time is limited for us, if we're not going to go down that path. So your roles are different. They're definitely shifting." In her eyes, "The seasoned woman is going to offer a more seasoned character." Which may account for why she's having the time of her working life right now.

'Moneyball' is on general release. 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' opens on 26 December. 'Rampart' opens on 10 February

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/robin-wright--a-hollywood-survivor-is-having-the-time-of-her-life-6274322.html

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"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" New York premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on December 14, 2011

zimbio

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Robin Wright on Craig Ferguson Show