Look Who's in Marie Antoinette!
Friday, October 14, 2016 at 3:00PM It's Marie Antoinette week: We're celebrating the Queen Consort of France each afternoon for a week for the 223rd anniversary of her death and the 10th anniversary of the Sofia Coppola biopic.
by Murtada
The casting in Marie Antoinette is imaginative and to die for. You could say it’s not hard to imagine Kirsten Dunst in the title role especially since she had already worked with Sofia Coppola. Jason Schwartzman as Louis XVI is not that far fetched since he’s the director’s cousin. However putting Rip Torn, Molly Shannon, Judy Davis and Asia Argento together in 1790s France took some chutzpah...
But where Coppola and her casting directors Antoinette Boulat and Karen Lindsay-Stewart prove their foresightedness is in the casting of three up and comers, Rose Byrne, Tom Hardy and Jamie Dornan. Years before Damages (2007), Bronson (2008) or Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) they were all in Marie Antoinette.
Byrne was arguably the most well known of the three at the time having already appeared in Troy (2004). So she gets the biggest part; Duchesse de Polignac a favorite of Marie Antoinette’s. Dornan plays Swedish Count and confirmed hottie Axel Fersen. We know whose eyes he catches at court. Hardy has the smallest part as a courtier who’s highly skeptical of Fersen.
This viewer didn’t leave the theatre in 2006 with a lasting impression of any of them. Except maybe how pretty Dornan looked. The queen was right to have an affair with him. Although now, watching again, Hardy’s petulance and jealousy, and Byrne’s conspiratorial snobbery are delicious. Particularly knowing what we know of their filmographies. Dornan is still so pretty and perfectly cast. No one knew 10 years ago that this trio would have Bane, Bulgarian clowns and Melanie Griffith's fantastic actress daughter in their future. Or that we’d be enjoying all three of them so much.
Did you recognize these three as the stars they are now back then?
Reader Comments (9)
Rose Byrne made my Top 5 in Supporting Actress in 2006 and is still in the Top 10 countless films later - surprisingly, it's still her only Top 10 from me despite stellar turns in comedies especially over the years.
Jamie Dornan was known to me at the time (in the UK I seem to remember that he was fronting a big fragrance campaign with Kate Moss and was the current boyfriend of Keira Knightley). In fact, when I learned he was starring in The Fall I was pretty disappointed as I didn't rate him at all. That first series soon changed my opinion.
Tom Hardy was known to me for Layer Cake and a UK TV adaptation of Wuthering Heights, I think. I still forget that he's even in this, which is weird as I watch it a lot - especially as he seems to try and steal every scene in his movies from his co-stars - Liz Taylor would be proud of his scenery chewing, though it's clearly a bit forgettable here!
Rose Byrne was one of the film's highlights for me, then and now. She was such a breath of fresh air in the story, you totally got why Marie would latch on to her. So ok, the Duchess of Polignac may have been shallow and snobby and the 18th century version of a Kardashian or a Paris Hilton, but, as Marie says, she's FUN!
I hadn't realized Jamie Dornan was in this until I rewatched recently, though I did remember the affair with the hot guy. :) Tom Hardy, on the other hand, didn't register at all.
I remember all three of them for this but one of my favorite things in movies ever is when the casting director gets it right about future stars. on the other hand i regularly mourn those casting directors who just casts who ever is hot at the moment because then movies start feeling so interchangeable (oh this person... again?) so you win some you lose some
but it's great that the film's eclectism is scene in virtually all aspects including the casting
I am always here for this film getting a little more love, especially for that ridiculous cast. MTV just published this a few days ago too: http://www.mtv.com/news/2941530/marie-antoinette-soundtrack-anniversary
It's a beautiful looking movie
Rose Byne is EVERYTHING in Marie Antoinette!!! She comes very close (and on some days she actually makes it) to making my Sup Actress ballot.
I had heard of Rose Byrne as she was a big standout in that film while I didn't know much about Tom Hardy but a recent re-watch a few months ago made me say "Oh, there he is". Jamie Dornan I still don't care about.
Love having so much talk and admiration for this movie. Such an underrated work.
omg. i had no idea! i need to rewatch this. rose byrne and tom hardy are fantastic. jamie dornan's aight.