What exactly happened to Juliette Lewis?
Once positioned to be quite the serious actress in films like Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers” and the indie drama “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” Lewis has been pretty much absent from major roles in the acting world for the past few years (or more). Sure, she has shown up in some enjoyable character turns in comedies like “Whip It” and “Old School,” and put in time in dramas like “Conviction” and “Sympathy For Delicious,” but it seems she’s mostly been making a go of it with her punk band Juliette and the Licks. Anyway, ScreenDaily is reporting that Lewis has signed on to star in what is being called a “contemporary noir” entitled “Blood Or Water.” The film is being helmed by Justin Molotnikov, who won the BAFTA Scotland Best Feature Film award for his feature debut “Crying with Laughter.”
Lewis goes on to say that she is looking forward to working with Molotnikov because he is “unconventional,” and that, “he creates one of a kind, totally engrossing stories with characters that jump off the screen.” Or at least that’s what her publicist told her to say. Shooting is set to begin in Scotland in 2012, with a cast that includes “Rushmore” actor Stephen McCole, Greta Scacchi, and Gary Lewis but there is no word on what the plot actually encompasses.
Perhaps this sort of serious dramatic work will be a welcome return for fans of Lewis’ earlier acting career. When we hear “contemporary noir” we think of the Michael Shannon-starring “The Missing Person,” and we’re okay with that but we’ll wait to see how this one turns out. As for Lewis, she is also slated to star in the upcoming independent drama “Hick” which premieres at TIFF next month, as well as taking a role in “The Firm,” which is the new TV adaptation of the John Grisham novel that was also turned into a Tom Cruise blockbuster. Perhaps this means another stab at what was once a promising acting career for Lewis, and no more embarrassing punk rock posturing for the rest of us.
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