Ever since Rachel Weisz captured our hearts as the brilliant librarian Evelyn “Evie” Carnahan in the action-adventure film The Mummy, she has been on a roll. As a versatile actress, Weisz has successfully adapted to the ever-changing landscape of Hollywood, earning her status as one of the most talented Brits currently working in the industry. Whether she is starring in independent productions or blockbuster hits, Weisz consistently delivers exceptional performances that endear her to audiences even more.
With numerous accolades to her name, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Constant Gardener, Weisz has established herself as one of the most respected and admired actors of her generation. Off-screen, she is just as impressive, using her celebrity status to advocate for a range of causes, including LGBTQIA+ rights. Rachel Weisz is fascinating in every sense of the word, and here, we’ve compiled a few facts that every true fan should know.
1. Her Surname is Pronounced ‘Vice’
Rachel Weisz is of Jewish descent which is the origination of her last name Weisz. She’s spoken publicly about her last name, clarifying that the correct pronunciation is actually “Vice,” but that her family started pronouncing it “Weisz” after they moved to England from Hungary in the 1930s while fleeing the Nazis. This, they did, to make it easier for English speakers to pronounce it. However, at the start of her career, her agent suggested she changed the “W” to “V” in order to avoid mispronunciation but she didn’t oblige. Rachel now wishes everyone could just say it right and has joked about how she often receives emails addressed to “Rachel Wines” or “Rachel Weeze.”
2. At 14, Rachel Wiez Rejected A Role in King David Opposite Richard Gere
Rachel Weisz was born into a family that encouraged creativity, leading her to pursue a career in the performing arts from a young age. When she was just 14 years old, she began modeling but remained committed to her education, and didn’t want to prioritize show business over her studies. In fact, Rachel Weisz reportedly turned down an opportunity to appear in the 1985 Biblical epic King David, which starred Richard Gere in the titular role. After completing her education, Weisz graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in English, before fully launching her acting career in 1992.
3. She Opted Out of The Mummy 3 Due To Scheduling Conflicts
Weisz delivered a standout performance in the 1999 action-adventure, The Mummy earning her breakthrough in Hollywood. The success of the film led to two sequels, but Weisz was surprisingly recast for the third film, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. There has since been much speculation about Weisz’s decision to opt out of the film despite initially showing interest. Some of the reasons initially cited were Weisz’s disagreement with the creative direction, and scheduling conflicts. In a 2008 interview with ES Magazine, Weisz confirmed that the latter was the case stating that she never read the film’s script. She explained that the film would have required her to spend five months filming in China, which would have been impractical, given that she had just completed a hectic production and had a newborn baby.
4. Rachel Wiez Made Her MCU Debut Appearance in Black Widow
These days, it’s hard to find any A-lister who hasn’t appeared in the MCU, and for Weisz, her induction into the superhero universe came in 2021’s Black Widow. Directed by Cate Shortland, Weisz played the role of Melina Vostokoff, a seasoned spy and former colleague of the film’s titular character, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). Weisz appeared alongside an ensemble cast that included Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Ray Winstone. The film was released in both theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on July 9, 2021.
5. She Has A Son With Ex-Partner Darren Aronofsky
Rachel Weisz was previously in a long-term relationship with director Darren Aronofsky. They met on the set of Aronofsky’s film, The Fountain wherein Weisz played the female lead opposite Hugh Jackman. The couple started dating in 2001 and were engaged in 2005. They have a son together, Henry Aronofsky, who was born in 2006. Despite their separation in 2010, the couple has remained on good terms and has continued to co-parent their son, Henry.
6. Rachel Weisz First Met Her Husband Daniel Craig On The Set of a Play In The 90s
Before their romance began and blossomed to our collective pleasure, Weisz and Daniel Craig had been friends from their twenties. The first time they crossed paths was in the early 90s when Cambridge Talking Tongues, a student drama group co-founded by Weisz, performed a play called Les Grandes Horizontales at the National Theatre Studio. However, it wasn’t until both were cast opposite each other in the 2010 film Dream House that they felt a romantic spark. They got married in a small wedding in June 2011 and now have a daughter together.
7. Rachel Wiesz Owns The Production Company, LC6 Production
An interesting fact about Rachel Weisz is that she co-founded LC6 Production, a film production company, in 2018 with the goal of producing films with strong female characters and diverse voices. The name “LC6” is a reference to a laboratory in Cambridge, England where Weisz’s father worked as a physicist. The company’s first production was Disobedience, a romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Naomi Alderman. Weisz starred in the film opposite Rachel McAdams and also served as a producer.Scarlett Johansson
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