Patricia Arquette’s directorial debut, Gonzo Girl, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of last year and garnered plenty of mixed reviews for examining a young writer’s struggles while working as an assistant to the father of Gonzo journalism, Walker Reade (Willem Dafoe).
However, Camila Morrone has earned encouraging comments for her portrayal of aspiring writer Alley Russo. Interestingly, at one point, Arquette considered not casting Morrone for a strange reason.
Why Patricia Arquette Considered Rejecting Camila Morrone for Willem Dafoe Movie
Ever since her breakout role in True Romance (1993), where she portrayed a free-spirited prostitute, Patricia Arquette has frequently made headlines – be it through her incredible range of acting abilities, which saw her lift an Oscar in 2015 or her marriage and subsequent separation from Nicolas Cage.
In recent times, Arquette has been in the news for sitting on the director’s chair for the first time in her career for Gonzo Girl. The movie which stars Camila Morrone and Willem Dafoe is based on Cheryl Della Pietra’s semi-autobiographical novel about her experience as a young female assistant to Hunter S Thompson in the summer of 1992.
As an actor, Arquette must’ve had plenty of experience of unfairly being judged solely based on looks. Interestingly, the Boyhood star came close to falling into the same trap when she first saw Morrone’s audition.
“When I first saw her audition it was so incredible, but I thought, ‘Is she too pretty?'” Arquette told EW. “And then I thought, ‘Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I have my own self-conscious bias. Why am I trying to say, “No, you just get to be pretty, that’s all you can be”?’ That’s not right.”
Morrone vindicated Arquette’s decision by showing beauty and acting prowess are not mutually exclusive through her incredible performance in Gonzo Girl.
What Camila Morrone Said About Working With Willem Dafoe
Morrone, who also recently impressed in the television miniseries Daisy Jones & The Six, waited two months after her audition to hear Arquette’s decision, and at one point even thought she was not going to get the part of Alley Russo.
When she eventually got the nod, the model and actor went into the experience with an aim of learning more from Arquette and Dafoe. She said:
“I went into this just wanting to be a sponge and learn as much as I could from these people whose talent I admire, but also their career and their filmography. I just was like, ‘I’m here, I’m ready, teach me everything.'”
That was certainly a smart move from Morrone as there are very few actors more versatile and experienced than Dafoe. The Poor Things actor was recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his incredible contribution to the industry.
