Actress Rachel Weisz, who catapulted her fame through Brendan Fraser’s 1999 film The Mummy, surprisingly didn’t reprise her role as Evie, in the third installment of the film series. Despite being a preferred character in the movies that became a lighthearted adventure romp soon after its release, the actress surprised her fans with her noticeable absence from The Mummy 3.
Although the actress went on to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for her work, following her infamous role in The Mummy franchise, Rachel Weisz surrendered her role in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Apparently, the actress was offended by the director’s approach to her film character in the third installment, which made her quit the franchise.
Also read: “I don’t have anything”: Despite Oscars Win, Hollywood Won’t Give Brendan Fraser Any Work
Rachel Weisz’s Noticeable Absence From The Mummy 3
Appearing for the first time in Stephen Sommers’ 1999 film The Mummy, Rachel Weisz created a buzz in the entertainment industry with not just her performance but also her super attractive looks. Appearing as Egyptologist Evelyn O’Connell, who was the onscreen wife of Brendan Fraser, the actress cemented her career in Hollywood.
Further, after the massive success of the first installment, producers came up with a sequel The Mummy Returns in 2001, where Rachel Weisz reprised her role as Evie. Although the second film failed to make a similar impact to that of its predecessor, it certainly created a buzz due to the cinematic debut of Dwayne Johnson as the vicious Scorpion King.
After witnessing two definite successes from the Mummy franchise, producers returned for a third part in 2008. However, this time Rachel Weisz simply turned down her opportunity to reprise her role in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Following her exit, the third installment turned out to be abysmal and nearly eradicated the staggering success of the original movie.
Why Rachel Weisz Quit The Million Dollar Franchise?
Leaving a noticeable absence in the 2008 installment, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Rachel Weisz shocked her fans as she denied reprising her much-admired role as Evelyn O’Connell. Although Brendan Fraser returned to the franchise, Weisz was replaced by Maria Bello.
Apparently, the third part showcased the story of Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evie (Maria Bello) on their adventure with their 21-year-old son. Now, although the timeline of the film seemed quite alright, the character development was something that bothered Weisz quite a lot.
Rachel Weisz was indeed concerned about playing the mother of a 21-year-old in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Thus, according to director Rob Cohen, he “got a very angry phone call from her (Weisz’s) agent, saying she’ll never play the mother of a 21-year-old”. Reflecting upon the actress’ issue with her character development, Cohen mentioned never pursuing her further.
Instead, the film hired Maria Bello who had no issue with the role as a mother of a 21-year-old. However, Rachel Weisz was not done with the director following the humiliation she faced, when she was asked to play a mother. Thus, the actress later slammed the script by calling it “crap” during an interview.
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Source: Digital Spy
