I can already see this film breaking the Internet when it leaks. According to the Huffington Post, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star and Hollywood darling Rooney Mara has joined the cast of Todd Haynes' upcoming film Carol, in which she will star alongside Cate Blanchett as her lover. Excelleeeeent.
Mara is actually coming into the film pretty late in the game: She's reportedly replacing star Mia Wasikowska, who dropped out recently for unspecified reasons. As for the role, Mara will be playing a 20-something department store clerk who Blanchett's character, an older, unhappily married woman, falls for. The film is set in 1950s NYC, so this is a pretty scandalous affair — but love is love.
After hearing about the role, I personally believe that while Wasikowska would have done a great job, Mara does bring a sort of edge to the look of the character that'll add some compelling depth. At first glance, Mara looks extremely innocent and doe-eyed, but there's something else there — it's what made her so compelling as Lisbeth Salander in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo when everyone didn't believe that the innocent little girl from The Social Network could look dark and tortured. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out when the film goes into production next spring.
Also, both Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett on the same screen? Oscar-bait doesn't even begin to cover it.
