How do you get even deeper for a musical cast that already includes Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta and Mary J. Blige?
Add in Academy Award winner Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Rock of Ages is adding the spouse of Michael Douglas per Deadline New York. The actress is taking on a role specifically written for the film version. Zeta-Jones will be playing the wife of the mayor of Los Angeles, a conservative character who wants to get rid of rock and roll ala Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center in the 1980s (which the film is set in).
“There are so many plotlines in the piece, we thought it would be fun to create a villain, and a cultural discussion point,” Adam Skankman said. “She’s the moral majority person, kind of like Tipper Gore and Anita Bryand had a love child in that era. To have a great actress who won an actress in this genre with Chicago is wonderful.”
What does it mean? Considering she hasn’t been in a film since 2009’s little seen The Rebound, Zeta-Jones is a shocking addition to the cast if only because she hasn’t been in a film in quite some time. Her last film to get a wide release, believe it or not, was No Reservations in 2007. She’s mainly been a stage actress since, as well as dealing with personal & family issues, so the timing must’ve been right for her to commit fully to a project like this.
Throw this in with the fact that the last time she sang and danced she found her way to an Oscar. She has to be considered a strong addition to a cast at this point, strong enough that they’re altering the play to fit her in. As a comeback vehicle she couldn’t have picked a better one. Another Zorro would be undignified and a film with singing and dancing feels right.
What do you think? Is this a good choice, especially considering the film’s plot is being altered from the stage play specifically for her?
