A brilliant teacher, Jason leads a happy life with Daniela, a gifted artist, and Charlie, their teenage son to whom he is very close. In fact, Jason’s life is so perfect that one day, an envious double, “Jason2”, kidnaps him and abandons him in a parallel reality, then takes his place with Daniela and Charlie. This is because in the alternative world in question, Jason2 once decided not to marry Daniela and instead to continue his research in quantum physics. Thanks to a revolutionary invention, Jason2 has made travel through infinite dimensions possible, dimensions that Jason must travel to prevent Jason2 from replacing him for good. In the ambitious science fiction series Dark MatterJennifer Connelly, with whom we spoke exclusively, plays a whole variety of Daniela.
“The project immediately appealed to me,” the Oscar winner for the film confides by videoconference A Beautiful Mind (An exceptional man), with already a scientist husband overwhelmed by his experiments.
“Initially, I really read the scripts of the [huit] episodes objectively, without trying to imagine how I would play Daniela. I first immersed myself in the story and the proposed universe. Secondly, I read Blake’s novel [Crouch, concepteur, producteur et scénariste de la série]. Bright. »
In this case, science fiction, Jennifer Connelly knows and loves. In fact, his filmography includes the blockbuster The Day the Earth Stood Still (The day the earth stood still), the anticipation series Snowpiercer (The Transperceneige), not to mention related genres like fantasy (Labyrinth/Labyrinth ; Noah/Noah ; Winter’s Tale/Winter’s Tale), the supernatural (Dark Water/Troubled Water) or superheroes (The Rocketeer, Hulk)…
However, it is especially the cult film Dark City (Dark city) that we think, since Jennifer Connelly played a character, let’s say, several times “reconfigured” during the plot. In Dark Matterthe main Daniela is the model to which we compare the alternative versions that Jason encounters during his quantum epic.
“It was stimulating, because it involved a myriad of questions that I don’t usually have to ask myself for a defined role,” continues the actress with her iconic jade eyes and jet-black hair.
“What is the common line of force that prevails among all Danielas? What details change, depending on the life choices each person has made? Some versions of Daniela are only glimpsed, and yet we must understand how different they are from the main Daniela. Establishing these variants was a great challenge. »
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However, challenges are real fuel for Jennifer Connelly. It must be said that she started in this profession early, when she was just a kid.
“I was just a child: I was barely 11 years old [dans Once Upon a Time in America/Il était une fois en Amérique]. Back then, for me, it came down to putting myself in the right place and knowing my lines. That everyone on set looked happy: that was pretty much all that mattered then. »
Now, “satisfying” everyone is no longer the priority. When she was offered a role, Jennifer Connelly had to find what she wanted.
“I look for characters who will arouse my curiosity; characters who are complex, who don’t reveal themselves from the outset… Characters who are, deep down, human. »
Here again, a look at her track record attests to the actress’ determination in this matter. Indeed, at the turn of the 1990s, the studios tried to reduce it to a sex symbol (The Hot Spot ; Career Opportunities/A place to take), but this straitjacket, very little for her.
After studying at Yale then Stanford, she began searching for more ambitious scores. Finally, starting in the late 1990s and continuing through the 2000s, came demanding independent projects, like Waking the Dead, Requiem for a Dream (Return to Brooklyn), Pollock, House of Sand and Fog (House of sand and mist), Little Children (The choir boys), Or Virginiawho repeatedly proved that behind immense beauty lay immense talent.
Portrait of a wedding
Since its consecration thanks to the film A Beautiful Mind In 2001, Jennifer Connelly didn’t sit on her laurels. On the contrary, the actress is a hard worker who takes her job very seriously.
“Over the years, I have developed a working method, drawing on different approaches from all over the place… When I prepare a role, I am initially very analytical. I do a lot of research related to the character’s life — their job, their situation. Any aspect of the character that I’m not familiar with, I manage to become familiar with by gathering as much information as possible. Then come intuitions, but also concrete choices…”
I look for characters who will arouse my curiosity; characters who are complex, who don’t reveal themselves from the outset… Characters who are, deep down, human.
Speaking of what is “concrete”, what most attracted Jennifer Connelly to Blake Crouch’s project, she specifies, is neither the philosophical considerations nor the existential questions inherent in the adventures of the protagonists. For the actress, the attraction came from something more intimate and, yes, more tangible.
“The aspect of the project that appealed to me the most is that, stripped of all the spectacular side, all the science fiction dimension, it is the portrait of a marriage. This woman is fighting to save her relationship, her family. And that touches me a lot. »
In view of the series and its multiplication of characters, another observation emerges, also very concrete, namely that we can never have too many Jennifer Connellys.
The first two episodes of Dark Matter appear on Apple TV+ on May 8.