V for Vendetta director James McTeigue told Superhero Hype why he cast Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving in the lead roles of his movie based on the Alan Moore/David Lloyd comic.
"I guess for me, I worked with Natalie before, so there was a certain shorthard I have with her, but if you're in the room with Natalie Portman for more than 30 seconds, you understand how bright she is, and how erudite. I really think you need an actress that can take you on the journey,
because Evey's character really starts in one place and ends up in another. In a lot of ways, she's the audience's narrative guide, and she needs to have a believability to her and I think Natalie really embodies that," he told Superhero Hype.
As for Weaving replacing James Purefoy as V: "I did a bit of reshooting, but the thing with James is that you spend 20 years or more learning how to use your face. That's your ultimate tool as an actor, and then when that's taken away from you, and you're put in something that can be very confining or very limiting, we just made a decision because it wasn't working out. I think he recognized it was well. We decided to move on and go with Hugo because he became available when another film he was doing didn't work out."
Meanwhile, producer Joel Silver says he's optimistic about the film's box office success: "I'm positive about the movie," he told reporters. "I think this one is very good and every effective and very strong. I'm proud of the whole group here and the movie we've made, and I think that people are responding to it."
For the complete interview, click
here.
The film opens in theaters and IMAX this coming Friday, March 17.