© 2024 Milwaukee Public Media is a service of UW-Milwaukee's College of Letters & Science
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

In 'Rachel,' Director Demme Casts Against Type

/

The new film Rachel Getting Married is getting rave reviews from many critics. Yes, it's about a wedding and has all the ingredients of a conventional movie: young couple, worried parents, an assortment of guests and the family black sheep.

In this case, that black sheep is the bride's sister, who swoops in for the weekend and disrupts the already frantic and tense preparations. Kym is a recovering drug addict with major issues. The part is played by Anne Hathaway, best known for her sweetheart roles in such films as The Devil Wears Prada and The Princess Diaries.

The man responsible for casting Hathaway against type — and for bringing Rachel Getting Married to the screen — is Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme. Demme talks with Liane Hansen about that casting decision and about how he got involved in the project.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.