We’ll say this for Ellen Page, she’s not following anyone’s playbook. After breaking out in a big way thanks to “Juno,” the actress stuck it out (mostly) with smaller films, taking on roles in “Smart People,” “Whip It” and “Peacock.” Of course, you don’t ignore the phone when Christopher Nolan comes calling, but while she starred in last year’s “Inception,” she followed it up with low-budget indie superhero spoof “Super.” And after spending the summer tossing around bon mots with Woody Allen in Italy for “Bop Decameron,” Page continues to seek out interesting work rather than just play the girlfriend/secretary/hipster in some studio rom-com.
This year’s indie darling Brit Marling is gearing up her next film with “Sound Of My Voice” director/co-writer Zal Batmanglij — the eco-terrorism thriller “The East” — and Variety reports that Page has taken on one of the lead roles. While details have been slim so far, this latest bit of news gives us a broader look at the story with Marling (who co-wrote the movie with Batmanglij) playing an undercover agent who infiltrates an eco-terrorist group only to start falling for their leader, who’s played by Alexander Skarsgård (who wouldn’t!). Page will play Izzy, a member of The East, and Skarsgård’s former lover, who isn’t pleased at the attention being given to the newcomer. Catfight!
Page is an interesting pick and it’s certainly not foreign territory for the “Hard Candy” actress, but she wasn’t the first choice. Felicity Jones was originally mooted for the part but with lensing starting soon, her press commitments for “Like Crazy” kept her out. We also heard Evan Rachel Wood‘s name being bounced around for a part, and we’re presuming that was for Izzy as well.
Marling will wrap up her duties on Robert Redford’s “The Company You Keep” and then move right into “The East,” which will shoot next month. She’s already done Sundance…is Cannes next?
