Robin Weigert is an American actress who has performed on the stage as well as on the TV screen. Generally speaking, she is best-known for her role as Calamity Jane on the HBO western Deadwood. However, Weigert has shown up in a wide range of other projects as well. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Robin Weigert:
1. Born in Washington, D.C.
Weigert was born in Washington, D.C., which is a place that should need no introduction. She is the daughter of Dionne Laufman and Wolfgang Oscar Weigert.
2. She Is Jewish
It is interesting to note that Weigert is Jewish. In fact, it should be mentioned that her father Wolfgang Oscar Weigert was born to a psychiatrist and a lawyer in Berlin in 1932. When conditions became worse and worse in those times, the Weigert family was fortunate enough to flee Nazi Germany in the 1930s, with the result that they managed to reach the state of Maryland in 1938. In time, Wolfgang Oscar Weigert went on to become a psychiatrist who also taught at Georgetown University and then George Washington University.
3. Went to Brandeis University
For her education, Weigert chose Brandeis University, which is a non-sectarian school that receives a fair amount of support from the Jewish community in the United States. This is because of a coincidence of wants between two parties. In short, there was a failing medical school called Middlesex University in the 1940s that was willed by its founder to whoever was willing to use it to found a non-sectarian school. Meanwhile, there was a committee headed up by one Dr. Israel Goldstein that was looking for a place to establish a Jewish-sponsored secular school. Initially, the committee had some skepticism about the whole idea, but in the end, a 100-acre campus situated close to both New York City and Boston made for a very convincing pitch. With that said, it is worth noting that Middlesex University was already well-disposed towards Jewish people before it became Brandeis University, as shown by how it was the one medical school in the United States that didn’t impose a quota on the number of Jewish students.
4. Went to New York University
Later, Weigert went to New York University where she studied at the Tisch School of Arts. From there, she would emerge with a Master of Fine Arts because of her efforts in the school’s Graduate Acting Program. As such, Weigert can be considered a classically-trained actress.
5. Spent a Decade on the Stage
Initially, Weigert spent about a decade’s time as a stage actress, which makes sense because New York City is one of the centers for stage theater in the United States and beyond. As such, she had relatively little experience with TV acting when she became involved in Deadwood, which has since become the project that she is most associated with.
6. Spoke With Jane Alexander About Playing Calamity Jane
In preparation for playing the part of Calamity Jane, Weigert spent a fair amount of time speaking with Jane Alexander, who is one of the previous actresses who have played the part. This was important because Calamity Jane is a historical figure whose life is more than a bit muddled because of the fact that she was a celebrity who made a deliberate effort to cultivate a sense of mystique about herself. Combined with the fact that Calamity Jane is one of the better-known historical figures to show up on Deadwood, this meant that getting a better feel for the person by consulting with Jane Alexander, who has actually studied her in depth, was very helpful for Weigert.
7. The Cancellation Came As a Surprise
In total, Deadwood ran for just three seasons. However, it was held in very high regard in its time, which remains true in the present. Due to this, Weigert has reported a sense of stunned surprise when she heard that the show was cancelled. As for why Deadwood was cancelled, there were apparently a number of reasons, with examples ranging from corporate infighting to the show not fitting in with HBO’s then image while not managing to bring in enough numbers to justify its more difficult than most making.
8. The News of the Movie Wasn’t As Impactful
With that said, the news of Deadwood: The Movie wasn’t as impactful as the news of the cancellation of the show for Weigert. Instead, there was a gradual sense of build-up over time, which was based on a very wide range of factors that sent both positive and not so positive signals. Eventually, it was Weigert seeing the quality of the script for the movie that really convinced her that the whole thing was happening.
9. Was Very Moved By the First Line
Having said that, it turned out that Weigert was very moved by the first line in Deadwood: The Movie, which went to her character. This is because said line was focused on the passage of time, meaning that it had an understandable effect on Weigert considering that the making of the movie was a reunion of sorts for her as well as a lot of other people involved with the original show.
10. Cast for Season 2 of Castle Rock
Very recently, Weigert was cast in Season 2 of Castle Rock, which is a psychological horror anthology based on Stephen King stories. In Season 2, Lizzy Caplan will be playing a nurse with serious mental issues named Annie Wilkes who gets stuck at the titular Castle Rock. Meanwhile, Weigert has been cast as Crysilda Wilkes, who would be the mother of Annie Wilkes. This is but one of the recent announcements made about the show, which provide interested individuals with a fair amount of information into what they can expect next.
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