Rooney Mara will go Goth as the bisexual Lisbeth Salander in the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Big buzz has surrounded casting ever since the Swedish-language version started drawing crowds at US cinemas and earned $157 million worldwide, according to New York Daily News.
Mara captured the role after “friending” director David Fincher on The Social Network, his film about the Facebook founders that also stars Justin Timberlake. Brad Pitt, who also previously worked with Fincher, was rumored a top contender for the role of the investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, but Craig makes a moodier, more serious and less distracting choice.
Mara has faced harrowing circumstances before, as a high schooler stalked by Freddy Krueger in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Hopefully the American actress can maintain the edginess of the wounded yet intriguing Lisbeth character, which is part of what makes the series so interesting.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo begins shooting in Sweden next month and is set for a December 2011 release. The last of the original three Swedish-language films will be released with English subtitles in the U.S. in October. They are based on the three books by Stieg Larsson, which have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
Food For Thought
I recently watched Tortilla Soup, a film about food and family. The family is lead by veteran actors Hector Elizondo, who plays the father, and Elizabeth Pena as the oldest of three daughters.
The food, however, was the star.
I was surprised—but not really—to read in the credits that the scrumptious culinary works of art were prepared by real-life chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, who became known as television’s Too Hot Tamales and are chefs/owners of the nationally recognized Border Grill and Ciudad restaurants.
Susan is an out lesbian and a hard-working LGBT supporter who opened Street earlier this year, which has already become an L.A. hot spot. Susan was recently featured on Top Chef Masters and eagerly lends her name and kitchen to LGBT causes.
Now she’s at it again, whipping up some buzz for Simply diVine: A Summer Soiree for the Senses, on Aug. 21 at Two Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. In fact, she’s a co-chair for this celebration of food, wine and spirits that will benefit the LA Gay & Lesbian Center.
Blogger Bio: For more than a decade Laurie Schenden has covered the entertainment industry for Curve, the Los Angeles Times and Germany’s Spotlight magazine. Her cover stories for Curve magazine have included Sharon Stone, Melissa Etheridge, and the cast of The L Word. She’s also an award winning documentary filmmaker and one of the co-creators of the Laughing Matters film series, seen on Logo.