A Love Letter to Rachel Weisz on her Birthday

Words: Sabrina Cooper

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Happy Birthday, Rachel Weisz! The British actress turns 54 on March 7th, and in the years she’s been active on both the small and silver screens, her portrayals of women have run the gamut from single mom in a romantic comedy (About a Boy) to tortured twin gynaecologists (Dead Ringers). Starting with The Mummy in 1999, Weisz captured the imagination of a wider, international audience as Evie, a frenetic librarian and Egyptian scholar. Notably, this action-adventure film also triggered a bisexual awakening for a generation of moviegoers and meme makers. 

Her portrayal and subsequent success in The Mummy launched Weisz into the greater stratosphere of celebrity with the advantage of taking on deeper, more complex roles — not to mention a longing to act on a certain desire of hers. In the last six years, Weisz has evolved into a queer icon of sorts and for some fans, her interviews and memes live “rent free” in their heads. In 2009, Weisz said, “I want to be a lesbian icon,” and it appears she’s nailed it.

Though she has not — thus far — officially come out in real life (she is still married to Daniel Craig by all accounts) her individual screen characters have been so raw and convincing of their queerness that it’s difficult to separate the onscreen Rachel from the off-screen one. Just like the Mantle twins she embodies in Amazon Prime’s Dead Ringers, she’s like the sum of her acting parts in one person, blurring the line between her career and personal life. There are also the rumours to the glee of her admirers that she hangs out at lesbian bars. Responding to the internet’s discussions of her, she once stated, “A queer icon, it’s a real honour.”

So without further ado and on the occasion of her birthday, here is our love letter reel of her recent and not-so-mainstream highlights.
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Disobedience (2017)

Weisz went full-on queer in this film adapted from the novel of the same name from Naomi Alderman. Ronit (Weisz) returns to London from New York City for the funeral of her father after years of being shut out for something she did in the past. Ronit rekindles verboten love with another woman in the community (Esti, played by Rachel McAdams). Esti is married under the watchful eye of her husband and remains embedded in the Orthodox circle. 

Despite these conditions and the general sombre mood of the film, the sex between Ronit and Esti is explosive—that energy between them lying dormant for several years—and involves a titillating moment with saliva. The lust and love as well as the long stares between Ronit and Esti are undeniably palpable that it leaps off the screen. Weisz seemingly plunged into Ronit, let out all of her inhibitions, and made the character riveting. It was Weisz’s first time doing a love scene with a woman. Some might say it didn’t even look like acting—she was that persuasive. Weisz also diligently read lesbian love novels to prepare for the role and she has a producer credit on this film.

And though the film is not all about spit, Weisz looked beyond sex and came to the realisation that Ronit and Esti’s physical acts of love emitted profound meaning: She told NPR, “The whole scene is symbolic of Rachel McAdams's character's emancipation and release into existential freedom. I mean, you know, there are sex scenes in films which can be meaningless. And I think this is one of the more meaningful scenes in the film and definitely the most meaningful sex scene I've ever done. There's actually no nudity. I'm sorry to let the listeners down.”

The Favourite (2018)

There’s a moment in The Favourite where Abigail (Emma Stone) discovers a secret behind Queen Anne’s (Olivia Colman) and Sarah Churchill’s (Weisz) relationship and obviously it goes beyond strict companionship. Although it’s clear what’s happening—the camera follows Abigail’s candlelit face and not the sex unfolding before her eyes between the Queen and Lady Sarah—the audience is left to imagine how covert and illicit it was during that era. And the timing of The Favourite came hot on the heels of Disobedience. 

Weisz as Sarah, the Duchess of Marlborough, knew how to play up her power in the court of 18th century England as well as dial it back when she was interacting with the Queen whose health was in serious decline. When Abigail attempts to climb her way up the social ranks, Lady Sarah dominates the conversation without any confusion as to who’s in charge. “Can I ask you something?” says Abigail as they’re both outdoors, shooting for leisure. “As long as you're aware that I have a gun,” responds Lady Sarah with utmost authority.

Funnily enough, Weisz told BBC1 that her favourite line in the film is her own: “Let’s go shoot something.” 

Dead Ringers (2023)

There’s a lot of “fucking” going on in this series: the literal gratuitous use of the word, sexual intercourse—whether for love or for instant gratification—and manipulation. And Weisz of course is fucking amazing in all six episodes. As both twins in gynaecological medicine, Weisz delivered.

At the heart of the story are the Mantle twins, Elliot and Beverly, masterfully channelled through Weisz. Based on the 1988 David Cronenberg film of the same name, this mini-series focuses on fertility and obstetric health in all its gory—sorry, glory. The unsettling colour red punctuates many scenes, too, especially in the hospitals and clinics which feature prominently. 

Weisz embraced both identical twins: Elliot, the wild and unhinged sister with a brilliant but unethical mind for research in addition to addiction problems, and an insatiable appetite for food and sex; and Beverly, the more sedate and professional of the two who approaches patients with a sympathetic bedside manner. Elliot does everything for Beverly whom she lovingly calls “baby sister,” including attracting romantic partners. Beverly’s hair is always pulled tight into a ponytail and Elliot wears her hair down and free. 

Elliot and Beverly find themselves in a precarious situation with the opening of a birthing centre with their name on it, plus Beverly falls in love and wants to start a family with a famous actress, Genevieve (Britne Oldford). How do the twins cope with these stress factors when their lives have been—up until this juncture—relatively harmonious? Weisz managed this balancing act in Beverly and Elliot making audiences take that leap of faith that she’s both queer and heterosexual. Sounds familiar…