Rooney Mara is famously known for her role in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A movie based on a book by the same name led to the actress becoming more selective about the roles she played and whether or not she acted at all for that matter. The actress had taken a long break from working in any movie for a while.
Unexpectedly, it was David Fincher who not only brought her back into the industry but he also fought extremely hard to make sure she does not lose the role. Certain experiences led Mara to step away from acting, however, support from Fincher made her change her mind, and instead of leaving the industry altogether, she just decided to get selective.
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Rooney Mara Wanted To Quit Acting Before The Social Network
Before Rooney Mara did The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, she acted in A Nightmare on Elm Street. The 2010 remake left her disturbed with an unwelcome experience with the director. Incidentally, she decided she never wanted to act again after what happened on the set of the film. The actress was left wanting never to do anything with acting and wanted to quit for good.
“I have to be careful with what I say and how I talk about it. It wasn’t the best experience making it and I kind of got to this place, that I still live in, that I don’t want to act unless I’m doing stuff that I feel like I have to do. So after making that film, I kind of decided, ‘OK, I’m just not going to act anymore unless it’s something that I feel that way about.’”
Even though now she stands with two Oscar nominations as well as Golden Globe nominations, there had been a time in her life when acting was not her priority. This unpleasant incident is what made Mara work with only certain directors and do lesser movies.
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David Fincher Brought Rooney Mara Back Into Acting
After her work in A Nightmare On Elm Street, the actress decided to take a long break. She then returned to the big screen with a minor role in The Social Network. Directed by David Fincher, her work experience and outlook towards the industry completely changed.
“I got an audition for ‘The Social Network,’ which was a small part but it was an amazing scene, and then I didn’t work again from that until I think ‘Dragon Tattoo,’” she said. “David didn’t want to audition me for it because he didn’t think I was right for it based on what I did in ‘The Social Network’ and I kind of insisted they put me on tape anyway so I did, and then he had to fight really hard for me to get the part because the studio didn’t want me for it. It was a definite real turning point in my life and my career.”
Working alongside Flincher made her pick out what roles she was willing to play and which director she wanted to work with rather than quitting the Hollywood industry altogether.
Source: LaunchLeft