Rachel set for Roman epic? - Mar 14 2008
Oscar-winner Rachel Weisz has apparently signed on for upcoming Ancient Egypt epic Agora.

The British actress - who landed her Academy Award for The Constant Gardener in 2006 - will share the screen with 22-year-old rising star Max Minghella, reports Variety.

The film is set in Roman Egypt in the fourth century AD and will see Rachel, 37, play astrologer-philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria.

Max - who featured in George Clooney's Syriana - plays Hypatia's lovestruck slave, who must choose between the mistress he adores and seeking freedom.

The film will be directed by Alejandro Amenabar, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

He told the trade mag: "Our entire team is devoted to bringing ancient Alexandria back to life by using a hyper-realist approach.

"We want the audience to see, feel and smell a remote civilisation as if it were as real as the present day."

The movie will be shot in Malta and is expected to be released in 2009.

Rachel’s optimistic about love - Feb 8 2008
Appearing in romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe has made Rachel Weisz contemplative on the subject of love.

The British beauty plays Summer, a free-spirited student who captures the heart of Will Hayes, played by Ryan Reynolds, in the story which spans over ten years.

"One nice message of the film is that if it doesn’t work the first time around, you might get a second chance," she reveals.

"I think that’s nice because sometimes we’re made to feel that there’s only one chance and if we mess it up, that’s it. I know someone who found their first true love in their mid-70s, so you know there’s always hope."

And the most important lesson she’s learnt about love is to keep your cool. "It’s to try not lose your temper and to be able to talk things through without losing your temper," she admits.

As for Valentine’s Day, Rachel, who is dating American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, admits she has no plans at the moment, saying: "I don’t actually because my boyfriend’s going to be working so I think we might have to postpone it until the weekend."

Rachel: I was craving a comedy - Feb 4 2008
She’s known for tackling weighty roles, but Rachel Weisz has admitted she was having cravings for a comedy when the script for new romcom Definitely, Maybe landed in her lap.

The actress - who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 2005’s The Constant Gardener - said she was ready for something more light hearted.

"I just really wanted to be in a comedy," she said. "I’d really set my mind on it. I don’t really know why. It’s just what I had a passion for doing, and I thought, ’That’s what I want to do next’."

The 36-year-old adds, laughing: "It’s like, why do you feel like pasta sometimes? It’s hard to find a really good explanation. It was almost like a craving. I was craving a comedy."

Rachel went on: "I got this script and thought it was refreshing, because it was a romantic comedy but it wasn’t one that promised a ’happily ever after’ situation. It was a little more complicated than that."

Definitely, Maybe - which also stars Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher and Abigail Breslin - is released in the UK on Friday February 8.

Rachel: LA makes you feel ugly - Nov 30 2007
Rachel Weisz has reportedly said being in Los Angeles can make you very body conscious.
The actress - who has spent time across the pond on various projects - is quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying: "LA makes you feel ugly."