Rachel Weisz has disclosed the inspiration for her new psychological thriller Dead Ringers.
The Oscar winner, 53, revealed that she was influenced by Sex and the City while playing identical twin sisters, Beverly and Elliot Mantle, in the streaming remake of David Cronenberg’s graphically creepy 1988 film starring Jeremy Irons.
“Sex and the City came up more than anything,” Weisz, who also serves as an executive producer of the show, revealed to PEOPLE.
“I think all the writers would say that we’re indebted to Sex and the City.”
Describing the Prime Video series as “a deliciously wicked drama,” Weisz adds, “It’s our own cocktail, a real genre mashup — Sex and the City plus a little horror.”
The Mummy star also spoke about the challenges of adapting the horror flick.
“I really loved the original Cronenberg movie Dead Ringers, which came out in 1988,” she explains.
“I just had the idea, what if you remade it for television with two women, instead of two men in the lead roles.”
“What interested me is that level of intimacy — the idea of sharing everything,” she shares. “It’s a really intense story. These two incredibly high-functioning siblings are brilliant at their jobs, but massively dysfunctional in their private lives. That contrast between genius and dysfunction is psychologically very profound.”
“There’s blood and it’s very realistic, seeing a C-section,” she explains. “I met some obstetricians and they said, ‘Oh you’re not a real obstetrician until there is blood on the ceiling. Most surgeons say, blood on shoes,’ and he was like, ‘That’s for beginners.’ A very eminent Manhattan obstetrician said that to me.”
“When you’re giving birth, you can’t observe it,” she adds. “And it was extraordinarily beautiful and primal. I don’t think I’ve ever had an adrenaline rush like that before.”
