She might not shout about her achievements, but never underestimate Oxbridge theatre star turned Hollywood heroine Rachel Weisz…

Words: Jane Mulkerrins

Very quietly, modestly, and by stealth, Rachel Weisz has become a serious Hollywood player. This is not a sudden, overnight success; the film we are here to discuss – The Bourne Legacy – is her 45th screen role to date. That’s not counting her cameo on The Simpsons – the true marker of someone who has made it. Brought up in London’s Hampstead Garden Suburb, Weisz is one of many Oxbridge-educated exports (she studied English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge) to succeed in the film industry. And not always by choosing the most cerebral projects; it was as Egyptologist Evy in 1999’s The Mummy that she first broke Hollywood.

But one Oscar (Supporting Actress, The Constant Gardener, 2005) and a prestigious Olivier Award (for playing Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009) later, Rachel is sat opposite me in New York’s Mandarin Oriental hotel, sipping green tea in her skinny black jeans and embellished Isabel Marant jacket. Leaning forward, I catch a flash of her discreet wedding band. Last summer she married fellow Brit actor Daniel Craig – yep, James Bond himself – in a low-key ceremony in New York, attended by only four guests, including Craig’s 18-year-old daughter, Ella, and Rachel’s six-year-old son, Henry, from her previous relationship with Darren Aronofsky, director of Black Swan.

When she talks about phoning home in terror after completing dangerous stunts on the set of the fourth instalment of the action-fuelled franchise opposite ‘new’ Jason Bourne, Jeremy Renner, she does not reveal how 007 responded. But unlike some in the public eye, who appear to make a point of remaining aloof in an interview situation, Rachel seems as interested in me as I am in her. Perhaps she is simply being polite, but minutes into our interview, she asks, “Are you from north London too? You sound as if you are.” Then, “What’s your status in the US? Can you vote here?” She genuinely wants to know. And when a pair of workmen clatter into the room without warning or apology, looking for “Hayley” they fail to recognise the Oscar-winner on the sofa. With perfect manners, Rachel smiles, says sorry, but no, she isn’t Hayley, and carries on sipping her tea…

What attracted you to the role of Marta, and to an action film?

I really like the idea of an action movie that is realistic, rather than a superhero movie, or people with magic powers. And I thought she was a very well-drawn, complicated character, which you almost never get in a genre picture. As Marta, I’m a civilian – a scientist. I have a gun because I live alone and this is America. I love that as an audience member you can identify with her and think, ‘That could be me. What if I was in that situation?’ You get to see the evolution from normal bod to action heroine – she becomes a kind of warrior. And she gets put though a lot.

Would you ever be tempted by a less complex, more pure action part?

I don’t know. I loved Salt, but apparently Angelina Jolie’s role was written for a man. And she just said, “I want that role please,” because she can. I thought she was absolutely fabulous in it. So yeah, I don’t think I’d mind being front and centre, kicking ass

How physical did you have to get for Bourne?

Very. Actually, the stunts were terrifying. There were weeks spent on the back of a motorcycle, with Jeremy riding it, jumping over intersections and down staircases, and jumping off bridges in harnesses and onto moving buses. It was a challenge. I was genuinely scared – I didn’t have to do any acting at all when we did the action scenes! I would be phoning home saying, “I’m terrified”. I’m sure it must have been safe, but it didn’t feel it.

Were there any times when you didn’t feel terrified?

I loved working with the director, Tony Gilroy – it was probably one of my favourite experiences with a director. He is incredibly bright and verbally skilled and a great writer, but he loves chaos at work. And I love chaos too. Normally when people are very cerebral, they try to control everything, and he’s not like that.

Interview: Rachel Weisz