ENTERTAINMENT GAL: Rosario Dawson Goes Bare For Trance!

By DIVAGALS | April 4, 2013 | Entertainment, Gals On The Town

Rosario Dawson gives Entertainment Gal the scoop on her role in the new psychological thriller, Trance, out tomorrow.

Rosario plays Elizabeth, a hypnotist hired to help Simon (James McAvoy), recover a stolen painting he’s hidden for a band of criminals, but can’t remember where after being hit in the head.

Have you ever been hypnotized?

Someone came in London to put us under. James had a moment when he couldnΓÇÖt move his arm. Vincent [Cassel] didnΓÇÖt believe him. We also saw someone in the US. ItΓÇÖs different when youΓÇÖre not trying to get someone to do a trick. YouΓÇÖre listening to what the person is telling you to do, and you just do it. Even though I didnΓÇÖt go under, it was an important experience to get the hypnotist’s cadence of speech. It wasnΓÇÖt monotone but soothing and relaxing.

How did you make your character an equal in this virtually all-male cast?

Elizabeth wants to be an equal partner with these men who are very dangerous. She practiced how she would look and carry herself in the situations, but at one point realizes that she is in a club with very violent men by herself–no one knows where she is. She disarms them by stepping forward, despite being so vulnerable. It’s great to play a character whose strength is her wit.

Elizabeth’s look transforms throughout the movie.

I wore a hairpiece to have a widowΓÇÖs peak. We experimented with the look as kind of nun-ish, but if you take the film chronologically, thatΓÇÖs not where she starts. She evolves into that look. It was important that she didn’t go into the den of wolves with a mini-skirt and cat eyes. ItΓÇÖs not that kind of play on a femme fatale where she has to win everyone over with her feminine wiles, which would have been dangerous for her. ItΓÇÖs more, “This is who Elizabeth is; this is how smart she is. She is not going to pretend to be cute or soft.”

You have an all-out nude scene in the movieΓÇª

I thought it was interesting; it wasnΓÇÖt a sex or love scene. It was more like a rape scene: there was a power dynamic in play, a struggle. It revealed a lot about two characters involved in a very short period of time. It wasnΓÇÖt written that way; it developed into that. It was a trigger to help Simon retrieve his memory, but it was very dangerous for her. It was huge part of Elizabeth where it would reveal as much about her as him.

Tune in tomorrow for our Trance preview!

photo credit: Cloud Eight Films