Rosario Dawson is Mimi- Page 4

[Katecab99]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 9:39am

I remember hearing or reading somewhere that the original cast had said that the only way they would all reunite again in a RENT related production was if ALL of them came back to play their original roles. Right now, it's looking like everyone with the exception of Daphne Rubin-Vega is being looked at to play the roles they originated(in the same article on Broadway.com that annonced Rosario Dawson, it also newly announced that they are in talks with Wilson Jermaine Heredia to play Angel). I'm wondering how it will all go without Mimi being played by Daphne - will the rest of them participate? And does anyone know why Daphne wasn't asked to play or didn't accept the part?

After seeing Daphne and Adam in concert together last month, although they are older now, their chemistry hasn't changed. They were amazing.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 9:42am

Didn't see Anthony's post at first. Thanks.

Kate, I was at that show, too, and I agree - those two are still on fire. But, I guess the fact that Daphne is just about to (or did she already?) have a baby has something to do with it... it probably will be weird to have most of them and not her, but it sounds like Rosario will be good, so we'll see....

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 9:46am

katecab99 i think there's absolutely no question that the original cast members that were approached to reprise their roles will. they would be out of their minds to pass up the opportunity to re-create the roles they originated regardless if daphne was in the movie or not because very few performers get that chance.

as far as to why daphne wasn't approached/didn't accept, i have to say i haven't read anything concrete as to why that decision was made but i have read alot of speculation.

it would be interesting to hear from the producers as to why she was passed up because i seriously doubt she would've turned down the offer.

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 11:51am

I leave the boards for a day and look what I miss!! Wow, I don't know how to feel about this information...I LOVE Josie and the Pussycats, and Rosario *looks* the part, but, I really havcen't seen enough of her to judge if I think she's "right" for it or not. But, if Bernie Telsey said she was amazing on her screen test, that's good enough for me =)

With that said, I'm a HUGE Daphne fan and would have loved to see her play the role, since I've never seen her live...the chemistry between her and Adam can't be beat! I wonder if she would do the movie if she wasn't going to give birth soon?

[ajayspak2]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 12:10pm

That is the best news ive heard since most of the OBC are in negotiations to do the movie. Not only can she sing she can act, just look at her debut in Kids, i knew when i saw that in the theatres that Rosario and Chloe S. would make it.

[BlueEyedKate]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 12:48pm

My only hope for Dawson is that she captures that hidden vulnerability that is so trademark to Mimi (which, in essence, made Daphne's protrayal of Mimi my favorite). It takes the edge off a bit, makes her a bit more realistic and relatable...and such a defining characteristic for the character, yet is often lost in more recent Mimis.

[CaliNYer]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 1:44pm

So...I was trying to find info (more like opinions) on the movie, the director, the location... and came across this site. So...I hope this hasn't been addressed...and I have tried a search with many different key words...but, has anyone noted the phrase in the article "to begin shooting in San Francsico..." Are they really using San Francisco??

[camerangel]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 1:51pm

CaliNYer, ""to begin shooting in San Francsico..." Are they really using San Francisco??"

Yes they are in fact going to be shooting in San Francisco, atleast all the interior shots will be done there. The outside shots will be done in New York..

[CaliNYer]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 2:03pm

Wow...little surprised DeNiro and Rosenthal are fine with that, what with their attempts to keep films in NY.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 3:06pm

Who's Rosario Dawson?!?!?!?!

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 3:11pm

Check out Spike Lee's underrated masterpiece, 25TH HOUR, she plays Edward Norton's possibly turncoat girlfriend. Great movie!

[synchrogirl]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 3:38pm

I believe they will be shooting across the Bay in Oakland. From what I understand, the Lower East Side has changed (been gentrified) so much in the last 10 years, they'd be hard pressed to find exteriors there to use.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 3:47pm

For PAB,

:)
http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=502142

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 3:58pm

The decision to shoot in San Francisco is mostly about keeping Columbus close to his family and taking advantage of the SF government's new economic deals for filmmakers. Or so, this was what Columbus said this past May. I don't have a problem with it. The actors have all lived in New York for years, so it's not as if they'll seem generic in the least. I'm from Chicago but I never quite sympathized with Mayor Daley's complaints that the film Chicago was shot in Canada. Like it was that necessary to shoot a film that primarily takes place inside a prison and on a stage in a particular city, Daley! LOL.

Anyway, I'm sure most of you have come across this Broadway.com article confirming Tracie Thoms casting as Joanne:

Tracie Thoms Completes Principal Cast of Rent Film as Joanne


Tracie Thoms will play lesbian lawyer Joanne Jefferson in the upcoming film version of Rent. She and Rosario Dawson are the only principals to be cast from outside the original stage company of the musical.
"I am very excited," Thoms told Broadway.com. "I saw it on Broadway my senior year at Howard. I saw the whole original cast other than Jesse [L. Martin] and I was just smitten. I was into it. I was in it. I thought: 'I am going to do this play.'"

Thoms went to an open call for the show in 1997 and has since gone in for the role of Joanne numerous times, never before landing the gig. "I was so into Rent when I was auditioning before Julliard, I think I would have done Rent instead of going to Julliard, which would have been dumb," Thoms laughed. "But I was so into it. [The casting office] kept saying I'd get to do it someday and now I will. I'll definitely take doing the movie."

Thoms appeared on Broadway in Drowning Crow. Her off-Broadway credits include The Exonerated, Up Against the Wind and The Antigone Project, which just ended its run at Women's Project on November 7. Thoms was a series regular on As If and last season's acclaimed Wonderfalls, which had only a short run on Fox-TV but will be released on DVD this winter.

Rent, directed by Chris Columbus, is scheduled to begin shooting in San Francisco in early spring 2005. In addition to Dawson and Thoms, original stage company members Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp are expected to star.

[pab]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 4:03pm

As I said before, I would be happy for her if she got the part. BUT having seen, and been involved in, contracts that have been rumored by "various sources" I don't take anything for granted until the pen leaves the paper and the contract has been signed. The cast is not complete and I hope that it turns out to be a good movie.

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 5:10pm

^^^ ^^^

[americasinging]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 5:23pm

Um...I guess we'll all have to trust Anthony and others on this one. But Josie and the Pussycats singing is WAAAAYYYYYY different than Mimi's singing in Rent. But I'll talk myself into believing that she is the right one for the part later.

PS. Anthony rocks! It's so awesome that he's so willing to take time out of his day to keep us all up to speed and answer our questions!

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 6:30pm

Rosario must be good if she beat out Marcy Harriell and Jaime Lee Kirchner.

[b-way buff]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 9:20pm

rent didnt JUST celebrate 8 years on b-way, it opened april 29th, 1996!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/8/04 at 9:21pm

Yeah, well... I don't remember the last time I expected mainstream media to have its musical theatre knowledge straight. *shrug*

[stacey717]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 11:20pm

Whoa; it's taking me sooo long to catch up on all these posts and new threads...going away for the weekend and then some and then having to go to bed early (or work sooo late) really messes up my internet time...

It's great to hear that all the main cast is, well, essentially cast now (you know, more or less, contracts and such) :)

Thanks to Anthony, again, for the millionth time, for taking the time to answer questions, calm tensions, kill rumors, or anything else. (I.E. Ditto to 'You Rock' All is muchly appreciated.)


I'm sure Rosario Dawson will have to be wonderful, but don't really know any of her work right now to make any suppose-s or I-Think-s (I'll have to find time to go rent some movies and broaden my horizons 'cause I might as well see more movies anyway...)...Someone obviously saw some spark in her if she was cast in it....
I also don't know just about anything about Tracy Thoms.... so for both of these roles, as I can't judge anyway because the roles havn't been performed yet, and I have no background knowledge of the actrses repertoire or filmography,etc , all I can say that we'll just wait and see. (And I'm optimistic... I see no reason why not...)

I still think all should be great in the end (and while I'd look forward to it in any case, it really does look, well, I'm psyched even if I don't know too much of what is to come, obviously.)

(And I'm also itchy about the cinematography and such...I look forward to eventually finding out who's DPing, too...and production design.....and editing...heh without a good editor you've got a problemo...every piece of work by one segment of the filmmakers, editor and director and Dp, etc, needs to fit like a puzzle with every other bit of work in the production when making a film anyways...)

(*Sorry that was a sorta long post everyone*) Updated On: 11/9/04 at 11:20 PM

[Chloe]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 11:28pm

Here's a little interview with Rosario Dawson about getting the part. (I'll be happy when the headline writers run out of Rent puns!)

‘Rent's’ Due For Rosario Dawson

"I’m like so excited!” gushes Rosario Dawson with unadulterated joy during interviews Sunday for her forthcoming film, 'Alexander.' The actress is the first to be cast in Revolution’s adaptation of Jonathan Larson's Tony-winning musical, 'Rent.'

“I play Mimi Marquez,” enthuses the beauty. In the production, Marquez is a Latina stripper suffering from AIDS and a drug problem. “I auditioned with [the songs] "Out Tonight" and "Without You." I had to sing my a** off!”

Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, is directing 'Rent,' while original cast-members of the Broadway production - Taye Diggs, his wife Idina Menzel, Jesse L. Martin, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp - are in talks to reprise their roles in the film. Production begins in the spring.

Copyright 2004 EUR Web

[kangaroo]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 11:31pm

Broadwaydiva... apparently the girls didn't sing in Josie and the Pussycats. the credits are given to other people, I know this because my friend has their cd.

well congrats to her... but she better be an good singer. I mean, she is up against Adam and Idina.

[stacey717]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 3:53pm

"but she better be an good singer. I mean, she is up against Adam and Idina. "

hey!
...and Anthony, Jesse, and Taye! (and possibly Wilson according to several sources...)

(!)
:)

[insomniak]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 4:02pm

I'm not sure why everyone is so convinced she'd be bad. The girl didn't get the role for no reason.