Evan Rachel Wood's Dumb Struggle

5 months ago 17th Jun 13:30

Evan Rachel Wood found it hard to play a "dumb and ditzy" character.

The 21-year-old actress stars opposite Larry David in 'Whatever Works' and admits she would have turned down the role of a teen bride if the film wasn't directed by Woody Allen.

She said: "Funny enough, I had just sworn off teenage roles because I was ready to move on and go to the next level. But how could I say no to a Woody Allen film even though I can't say I identified with my character who is not exactly a smart cookie. I don't want to sound pompous, but it was really hard to play dumb and ditsy."

' So I took that as a thumbs up

The 'Wrestler' star was so worried about working with the famed director, she called her friends to discuss how to best approach him.

She explained to Parade.com: "I was nervous, so I actually called Edward Norton because he had worked with Woody before and I just wanted to know what to expect. He told me Woody was very shy, very reserved, and didn't really give a lot of direction to the actors.

"I almost had a panic attack the first day. I was certain I was going to get fired. You ask Woody, 'Was that OK?' And he says, 'Yeah. It was fine.' So I took that as a thumbs up. Now, I kind of get what he was going after. He wants you to be as natural as possible."