Biography
For fans of Hollywood cinema, actress Rooney Mara is associated primarily with the hit “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” After the release of this film, Rooney woke up as a star. But not everyone knows that she did not dream of a creative biography of an artist and was even afraid to go on stage.
Patricia Rooney Mara was born in Bedford. This is a suburb of New York. The girl grew up in a friendly family. She has two brothers, Daniel and Connor, and an older sister, Kate. Rooney Mara's family is famous in the sports world. Parents are from Ireland. Their ancestors were of aristocratic origin and descended from the old earl family of Down.
Rooney's paternal grandfather was a co-owner of the New York Giants football club. Later, his son, Rooney's father, Timothy Christopher Mara, became vice-president of the team with the same name.
During her school years, Rooney Mara was not interested in acting: it was her older sister's hobby. After receiving her school certificate, the girl went to travel around Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. This was not a simple trip, but a scientific one, as part of a special program for environmental studies.
Rooney Mara
After returning home, Mara went to study at the private study school at New York University. Here Rooney focused on studying international law and psychology. At this time, Kate's sister Mara had already become a certified actress. She brought Patricia Rooney onto the stage. During her school years, Kate was unable to do this: her younger sister was afraid to go on stage, considering this activity difficult for herself.
What Rooney Mara is afraid of: The most secretive actress in Hollywood - about Joaquin Phoenix, fears and herself
35 quotes and 11 dresses from the girl with the dragon tattoo.
Today, the “girl with the dragon tattoo,” an animal activist and one of Hollywood’s most secretive actresses, celebrates her 35th birthday. We remember her best performances and statements over the past ten years.
1
It takes me a long time to start trusting new people.
2
I've always been a loner. I prefer one-on-one than in large groups. And sometimes I just want to be alone. Especially after a day of filming surrounded by people.
3
I am my own worst critic. And I know when I did a really good job and when I didn’t.
Premiere of the film "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", 2011. Dress by Prabal Gurung.
4
If I’m dissatisfied with myself, I look for terrible things that people write about me on the Internet and confirm my feelings.
5
What am I afraid of? Diseases, like in the movie “Contagion”. Serpent. Heights. Ocean. Open spaces. Of people.
6
It's very difficult for me to be vulnerable. Even with the people I love.
Oscar Awards Ceremony, 2012. Givenchy couture dress.
7
I have stage fright and public speaking. I don't like to be the center of attention. That's why I don't play in the theater.
8
Red carpets are an annoying part of my job. It is very uncomfortable to be stared at and filmed.
9
I'm still rarely recognized on the streets. And that's great! I can't imagine what it must be like to not be able to just go out and be yourself. I wouldn't be happy with such a life.
Met Gala of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013. Givenchy dress.
10
I've always been very sensitive. And it’s hard for me to hide my emotions - it’s as if they live their own life in my body.
11
After The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I was devastated and exhausted—emotionally and physically. And I felt that I had nothing more to give to people.
12
I grew up in a family where they work very hard, but they absolutely love what they do. This was an important lesson.
Rome Film Festival 2014. Balenciaga skirt and top.
13
As a child, I worked as a nanny and counselor. And one day my friend and I got jobs as telephone operators in her father’s office. True, we laughed every time we picked up the phone. Therefore, we were transferred to the courier department.
14
I came to Los Angeles when I was 21 and initially lived with my sister. She had a one-room apartment, we slept in the same bed. She was already an actress, and I was just trying to find any job.
15
When you first move, Los Angeles seems like a terribly miserable and lonely place.
Film Independent Spirit Awards, 2020. Hugo Boss dress, Brian Atwood sandals.
16
An audition is almost like an interview for an office. You have to dress the right way, act a certain way, and play by the rules. I don't like it at all.
17
Directors are everything to me. I love directors. I idolize them. I always follow the director. The director is my main criterion for choosing a role.
18
I don't see a problem with undressing in front of the camera. The human body is not something to be ashamed of.
Toronto Film Festival 2020. Yacine Aouadi dress, Christian Louboutin shoes.
19
The first time I saw Cate Blanchett was in the film Elizabeth. I was thirteen. Since then I became obsessed and watched all her works. She's incredible! A real benchmark for me.
20
Filming is not that fun. You work 14–15 hours a day, then you go to sleep, and the next day you work again. But when it’s all over, it’s hard for you: “I may never see all these people again!” It's like leaving summer camp.
21
I've made friends on set, but mostly it's an experience that lives and dies in the process. You can communicate on the set, but you understand that this is not real life.
Cannes Film Festival, 2020. Dior dress.
22
On set, the actors are treated like children. And they don’t let you do anything on your own: “Should I bring you something to eat?”, “Do you want to go to the toilet?”
23
If you're an actress, you can't just act in movies. You must keep your mark, be polite and watch your words. It's exhausting.
24
I love to read and am still friends with my school English teacher. He recommends books to me.
Vanity Fair Oscar Party 2020. H&M Conscious dress, Jimmy Choo shoes.
25
If possible, I cancel all meetings and just lie in bed for a long time.
26
I regularly do yoga, hiking, pilates, ballet and sometimes karate.
27
In my youth I was more feminine. I put together different looks, chose vintage and colorful clothes. And now I wear sweatpants and pajamas. Because I hate getting ready in the morning.
Charity evening for the animal protection organization Animal Equality, 2018. Hiraeth dress.
28
I eat well, sleep a lot and don't smoke - this is my beauty routine.
29
I don't want to be a sex symbol. And I don't want to be considered unsexy. Do you know what I mean?
30
Many male screenwriters are afraid and do not know how to write female dialogue. This is strange - we are not so different from you, we are the same people!
New York Film Festival 2020. The Row dress, Christian Louboutin shoes.
31
Society wants women to be nice, kind and calm, not lively and real. It infuriates me!
32
I don't know what it's like to be a feminist. Yes, I believe that women should support each other. But in general, all people should support each other.
Oscars 2020. Alexander McQueen dress.
33
Falling in love is an interesting thing. There is so much projection in it: you create an image that has little in common with the real person.
34
If I had not met Joaquin, I would have been more unhappy. And now my personal life is great!
35
The best thing about me? Feet, of course.
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Rooney Mara Quotes
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Movies
It's not that Rooney Mara didn't love movies. The girl liked the films “Gone with the Wind” and “Rebecca.” She enjoyed watching musicals. When Rooney first appeared on stage herself, she was entrusted with playing Juliet in an amateur performance - it was like an epiphany. The game captivated Mara so much that it was not difficult for her sister to involve the girl in filming the horror film Urban Legends 3: Bloody Mary.
Rooney Mara in the movie Tanner Hall
An offer to star in the popular TV series “Law and Order” soon followed. Special Corps." Rooney brilliantly portrayed a girl in trouble with the law. The same year, the actress played a drug addict in the film “The Cleaner.” The world of cinema drew Rooney Mara deeper and deeper.
In 2009, the young actress played one of the leading roles for the first time in the film Tanner Hall, which starred famous Hollywood actors Amy Sedaris and Tom Everett Scott. In the credits of this film, the actress first appeared as Rooney Mara, asking to remove the first name Patricia.
Rooney Mara became famous in 2010 after the release of the remake of the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, where the actress played the role of Nancy. Another project, after which Rooney’s name firmly entered the world of cinema, was called “The Social Network.” Mara played Mark Zuckerberg's girlfriend, who, after breaking up with him, pushed him to create the most popular social network. Despite the fact that Rooney's role was episodic, the director of the project, David Fincher, remembered the girl. He invited Mara to audition for the leading role in the next film and was right.
World fame fell on Rooney Mara in 2011, after the release of David Fincher's film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Two years earlier, a Swedish project of the same name was launched, where the main characters were played by Mikael Nykvist and Noomi Rapace. The success of the European film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel prompted Hollywood filmmakers to present their version of the plot.
It is noteworthy that Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lawrence and Natalie Portman auditioned for the main role in the American film. But Rooney Mara won. The girl managed to convincingly portray an autistic hacker with a piercing on her face, who finds herself drawn into a complex story. Journalist Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) undertakes to unravel the tangle of crimes. The work brought Rooney Mara nominations for the world's main film awards - Oscar and Golden Globe.
In 2013, the young actress added three projects to her filmography. Rooney Mara played a couple in love with Casey Affleck in the crime drama On the Run. The actress also got the main role in the psychological thriller Side Effect, where Jude Law became her work partner.
In the film, Rooney Mara plays a mentally unstable young woman who kills her husband. But the main premiere of the year is the fantastic film “Her” about the love of the writer Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) for the operating system Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). Rooney gets the role of the former wife of the writer. The film impressed film critics, but caused restrained emotions among viewers.
In 2020, Mara secured her status as a Hollywood star with the film Carol, in which she played the heroine Therese Belivet. This work brought the girl a second nomination for Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe. Rooney also received the Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival and the Australian Academy of Film and Television Award.
The next surge of creative activity in Mara’s film career was observed in 2020, when three major projects were released with Rooney’s participation - the dramas “Una”, “Lion” and “Tables of Fate”. And again, Rooney Mara’s heroines turn out to be non-standard individuals with various psychological problems.
The best roles of Rooney Mara, actress today
Rooney Mara joined the ranks of the most famous Hollywood actresses by starring in the first film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The heroine's name is Lisbeth Salander. Famous actresses such as Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, and Katie Jarvis auditioned for this role.
Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander
In order to create the punk, gothic style of the heroine, the actress was forced to cut her hair short and dye her hair blue-black. She had to get a temporary tattoo of a dragon, as well as have her ears pierced in several places and have her nose, eyebrow, lip and chest pierced. The actress bleached her eyebrows and face.
This complex role of a closed bisexual girl brought Rooney nominations for such significant awards as the Golden Globe and Oscar.
Personal life
Rooney Mara is a person who is not indifferent to other people's misfortunes. The actress is involved in charity work, which takes up a lot of the girl’s time. But Rooney is not going to give up this activity in order to devote even more energy to cinema. Mara is the curator of a charity that helps orphans survive in the Kenyan slums.
Rooney Mara's personal life has long been a closed book. In 2007, the girl moved to Los Angeles and lived with her older sister for a long time. The girls became close and became not just blood sisters, but also best friends.
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix
In 2010, it became known that Rooney Mara was dating director Charlie McDowell, the son of actor Malcolm McDowell. The relationship lasted until the end of 2020. On the set of the film Mary Magdalene, an affair began between Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix. Both actors have extraordinary characters and charisma, so they easily found a common language. Now the couple appears at social events together. Rooney Mara covers joint public appearances on her own Instagram.
Rooney Mara now
Now Rooney Mara continues to confidently rise to the Olympus of fame. In 2020, with her participation, the dramatic thriller “Discovery” was released, in which the actress again played a girl experiencing psychological problems.
In the fantasy drama A Ghost Story, Rooney Mara played the role of a woman whose husband suddenly dies, but does not leave this world, but remains a ghost. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was favorably received by critics.
In the musical melodrama “Song after Song,” Rooney Mara transforms into the heroine Faye, who must choose between two men – a young but poor musician and a wealthy producer. The actress's co-stars were Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender.
In 2020, the historical film “Mary Magdalene” premiered, in which Rooney played the main role. Her mentor, Jesus Christ, was played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Rooney Mara - childhood and family
Mara was born into a large family in the suburbs of New York. In addition to her, her parents raised her sister and two brothers. The father of the family was the vice president of the New York Giants, a famous football team.
Rooney's father and mother are from Ireland. His paternal grandfather was a co-owner of that same New York Giants team, and his great-uncle headed the Irish embassy in America.
Rooney Mara in the film Side Effect In 2003, after graduating from school, the girl went on a tour of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, which lasted about four months. Such a long trip was provided for by the Travel School program. Mara studied nonprofit organization, international social policy, and psychology at New York University's Gallatin School.
