The singer moves from soundtrack performer to on-screen talent in this new film with an all-star cast. But does she have the acting chops to bring the tragic character Rosemary to life?
Photo credit: The Weinstein Co.
The thought-provoking story of The Giver focuses on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives a seemingly perfect life in a world of stability and predictability. When he’s assigned to be the Receiver of Memory, he begins to contemplate his world in a deeper way, discovering unspoken secrets. The film is based on Lois Lowry’s award-winning young adult novel of the same name and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Jeff Bridges plays the title role of The Giver and tells young Jonas, “The way things look and the way things are, are very different,” a life lesson for sure, no matter where a person grows up.
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Photo credit: The Weinstein Co.
Taylor Swift plays the role of Rosemary, who was once assigned to be the Receiver of Memory, but couldn’t handle the painful memories. In this photo, she dons a brunette wig and is seated at the piano with The Giver.
So why the plain-Jane look for her character? It’s possibly to downplay her widely known status as a pop diva. Acting is about transforming into a role, often playing a character very different from oneself, so losing the blond locks and red lipstick makes sense as Swift inhabits her character. The director, Phillip Noyce (2010’s Salt, starring Angelina Jolie), no doubt wanted Swift to look like an average girl and not the MTV star she is.
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Photo credit: The Weinstein Co.
The film also stars Meryl Streep as Chief Elder, who says, “When people have the freedom to choose, they choose wrong.” This is a frightening sentence to hear, especially in America, where we celebrate our freedom and independence. Clearly, something very bad happened in this fictional world where citizens get daily injections to keep them emotionally stable.
The Giver also stars Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood) as Jonas’ father and Katie Holmes as Jonas’ mother. The film releases in theaters on Aug. 15.
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